Debbie's Perspective

Just my thoughts of the day.

Dec 5

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 11

by Debbie

On Day 10, we saw Zechariah in the Holy Place burning incense and praying for his nation. He was probably praying with his eyes closed, and then he opened his eyes, and boom, there was an angel standing there at the right side of the incense altar. He’s startled at first because he’s supposed to be in there alone, but upon closer examination, this guy is really powerful and scary looking. He’s more than startled, he’s terrified now. Gabriel tells him not to be afraid, then goes into his message. You, Zechariah, will have a son, you are to name him John, and he will bring joy and delight to not just you but lots of people. He will be great in the sight of the Lord, and then he tells him the big deal about John. He’s not going to be some ordinary kid.

“He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:11-17 (NLT)

For John not to take wine or other fermented drink means that he is called to be a Nazarite, as described in Numbers 6:2. Many people would make a Nazarite vow for a period of time, but John is to be specially consecrated to God for his whole life. Not only that, but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit in the womb. He will be all of this because he has a huge job to do. John’s mission would be to prepare the hearts of the people of Israel for their Messiah by bringing them back to the Lord their God.

 Before I go into the next thing said about John, I want to say it blows my mind how God told His prophet about his life 700 years before John was born, then he told Zechariah before he was even conceived all about the life he would live and the things he would do, and they happen just as God says!

Okay, back to the story. Let’s look back 400 years to the prophet Malachi and the last things said by God at the end of the Old Testament.

“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:5-6 (NLT)

Sound familiar? God speaks this, then is silent for 400 years. Now, he’s saying it again about this baby that is about to be conceived and brought into the world. Jesus confirms in Matthew 11:14 and 17:12 that John came in the power of Elijah just as it was foretold. Definitely not an ordinary child sent to bring Zechariah and Elizabeth joy in their old age. No, he was coming to prepare the way of the Lord but will bring joy while he’s doing it.

Today’s truth is that God knows the details of time from beginning to end. He knows everything about our lives before we ever live one minute, and He’s right there, active in the midst of it. We can trust Him with the outcome.

Christmas

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Dec 4

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 10

by Debbie

On Day 9, we left off with Zechariah being chosen by lot to burn incense in the Temple. This was a once-in-a-lifetime honor. Zechariah had probably dreamed of this day. He was an old man, so he may have thought this honor had passed him by. There were thousands of priests, and so few were chosen each year that he could have lived a lifetime and not had this opportunity. Now here he is in the Holy place, burning incense and offering prayers for the nation of Israel.

“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.’” Luke 1:11-13a (NLT)

While angels are mentioned more in the New Testament than love and sin, this doesn’t mean that everyone saw them. Zechariah probably felt like his heart skipped a beat. I think it’s a pretty good description that, at first, he was startled; he thought he was alone there, and then when he realizes it’s a huge angel standing there, he’s terrified. I think we all would be.

The angel tells him not to be afraid but then says something interesting; your prayer has been heard. At first reading, I thought maybe the angel was talking about his prayer for a child since that’s what he’s there to tell him, but his job right then was to offer prayers for his nation. He was a righteous man, a priest, and this was a lifetime opportunity, he wouldn’t be in there asking for his personal needs. Plus, as an old man, he wouldn’t have been praying for a child anymore, and certainly not at this momentous occasion, but God is so good, He not only answers his prayer for his nation – John was going to usher in and prepare the way for the Messiah, but He was also going to answer many years of prayers for Zechariah personally.

“Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.” Luke 1:13b-15a (NLT)

The angel starts out with the news that this answer to his prayer is going to be for him and his own personal joy and delight, but then he expands it to others. There will be many who will rejoice because of this child’s birth. And not only will he be a joy and a delight to many, but he will also be great in the sight of the Lord. This promise would be amazing on its own, but tomorrow we will see that there’s more, much more.

Today’s truth is that we never know if our waiting is for a much bigger purpose than we ever imagined. Our prayers are never wasted, whether they are for ourselves or for others. God cares about them all.

Christmas Prayer Thoughts on Faith Uncategorized

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Dec 3

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 9

by Debbie

As I said on Day 8, before the angel visitation to Mary and Joseph, there was a visitation a few months earlier. This visitation was proclaiming the birth of a child as well, and he would be important in preparing the way for Jesus. There were prophecies written about this child, too.

“Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of armies.” Malachi 3:1 (NASB2020)

Today we will look at the parents of this special child, Zechariah and Elizabeth. In verses 5-7, Luke tells us that during the time of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah from the priestly division of Abijah. Zechariah’s wife was also in the priestly line of Aaron. They were both righteous in God’s eyes and observed all His commands and decrees without fault. They were the perfect couple, right, but there was one problem, they couldn’t have a child, and they were both really old.

Since I’ve read ahead and know the end of the story, I know that Luke bringing up Herod here isn’t just to let us know when all this took place, this is an introduction to the villain who will have a part to play in this whole unfolding story. Also, letting us know that Zechariah is a priest from the division of Abijah is important as well. I love how God doesn’t leave out the women in the story, He lets us know that she is from a very important priestly line, too. But then you read that they are childless and have been for a long time because they are very old. Since I already let the cat out of the bag and told you that they were going to have a son that would prepare the way for Jesus, you already know about the first miracle in this Christmas story. So how did it begin?

“Once, when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.” Luke 1:8-10 (NLT)

You might think that Zechariah going into the Temple and burning incense was something that he did on a regular basis, but the truth is, a priest might only get to serve once in a lifetime like this. The priests who served in the Temple had to be from a certain lineage. Since there were so many of them by this time, they used a lot system to determine which priest would serve when, and how. There were more jobs in the morning and evening sacrifices than burning incense, and burning incense was very special. The priest would go in with the other priests into the Holy place, once the other priests finished their jobs, the other priests would leave. The priest offering the incense would put the incense on the altar and offer up prayers for the nation while the people would be on the outside praying. This was what was happening on this day. Tomorrow we’ll unpack what happened next.

Today’s truth is that you may think all the details in your life are random, just like the lot system, but God has a plan for your life and the details matter.

Christmas Thoughts on Faith Uncategorized

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Dec 2

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 8

by Debbie

Let’s back up just a little bit. After visiting John chapter 1 and finding out Jesus existed as the second person in the Godhead before time began and then heading over into Isaiah to check out the prophecies foretelling the birth of Jesus, we jumped into Matthew. Matthew began the story with Jesus’ genealogy and went straight to Joseph and Mary. But there was an angel visitation a few months before Joseph and Mary had theirs. So, we are going to head on over to Luke and do some digging there. We will examine the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth for a few days. There are too many details to dig through to give it just one day. Today, though, we are going to look at how Luke begins his book.

“Since many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting to me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in an orderly sequence, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.” Luke 1:1-4 (NASB2020)

He’s not about to tell us some fairy tale stories. They aren’t made up by someone. No, these are real people with real lives who experienced incredible things. Luke is telling us that he carefully searched out and investigated all the events he shares in this book from the very beginning.

Luke was a doctor. He had experience examining evidence, but in case anyone thought he was just a regular guy doing some amateur sleuthing, he wrote these first four verses in technically beautiful Greek. It was written in classical Greek, in the same way that classical Greek historians would open up their histories. By writing in this way, Luke was letting everyone know that he knows his stuff. He’s a scholar. Then, in verse five, he starts talking in common street Greek. He establishes his credentials as a scholar with legitimate research and investigation chops and then writes a story for everyone.  

Why does that matter? Well, as I said above, these weren’t made-up stories. Luke examined the evidence and wrote the exact truth that could be backed up by those who lived it. It enables us to read these accounts with confidence in what we’ve been taught. As he tells Theophilus, he’s writing this book so that we may know the certainty of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Today’s truth is that the Christmas story details we are examining over these 30 days are real events we can base our lives on. We can be certain that the things we have been taught out of these scriptures are the exact truth.

Christmas Life Thoughts on Faith Uncategorized

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Dec 1

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 7

by Debbie

The angel told Joseph that the child within Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that she would have a son, and that he was to name Him Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. This was already big news, but then what the angel said next was even more amazing.

“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying: ‘Behold, the virgin will be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:22-23 (NKJV)

Not only were Joseph and Mary supposed to wrap their head around the fact that she was carrying a child conceived by the Holy Spirit while she was still a virgin, but it’s happening just as Isaiah prophesied it over 700 years before. They would have known this prophecy, but here they are a part of its fulfillment.

“When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.” Matthew 1:24-25 (NLT)

When Joseph woke up, he could have thought, “Wow, that was a crazy dream,” but he didn’t. He did just what the angel of the Lord commanded him to do. The angel didn’t just ask him to do these things, he commanded him to do them. That could have played a part in Joseph getting up and actively obeying.

Remember, we read that Joseph was a righteous man, well, that word in Greek is dikaios, meaning righteous, observing divine laws, virtuous, and keeping the commands of God. Used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God. He wasn’t just a good guy; he was a guy who was going to do what God told him to do. It’s a good thing, too, because Joseph was going to have a few more encounters with that angel, and it wasn’t going to be an easy road ahead.

When the angel said to take Mary as his wife, it meant he was to bring her home to live with him. He was going to be responsible for her and the child now. Did Mary tell her parents? Did they believe her? Did Joseph tell them about his dream with the angel? Or were Mary and Joseph talked about by their village as a couple who just couldn’t wait for the ceremony? Since Joseph took Mary as his wife, they had to think that he was the father of the child she carried.

Their reputations were probably ruined. Gossip about them was surely rampant. But this young couple was so committed to this incredible journey God had put them on that in the face of all this, they remained true to their mission and kept Mary a virgin until the birth of Jesus.

Today’s truth is that you can be smack dab in the big middle of the perfect will of God, and life can be incredibly hard around you. I wonder if Mary was the first one to tell James, Jesus’ brother, to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials?” (James 1:2a)

Christmas Life Thoughts on Faith Uncategorized

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Nov 30

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 6

by Debbie

Crisis averted. Mary is pregnant, but now Joseph knows that all she told him is true. It took an angel coming to him in a dream to change his mind, but Joseph needed to be fully on board with this plan. He had to know it was real, and he needed to be told what he was supposed to do. Mary had to carry and give birth to the Messiah, but Joseph had his part to play in all of this, too.

“And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through His prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Matthew 21-22 (NLT)

“…you are to name Him Jesus” Jesus was a common name at that time, but it meant “The salvation of Yahweh.” Peter says in Acts 4:12, “there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved.”

He was to be named Jesus, the salvation of Yahweh, because “He will save His people from their sins.” He was coming as a savior. That was His purpose. It had been God’s plan from the beginning.

As we talked about on day three, the people were looking for a Messiah that would come and liberate them from their oppressors, but here the angel makes it clear what Jesus was coming for, He was coming to save them from their sins. Another man might be able to defeat their foes, but only Jesus could save mankind from the grip of sin and death.

In Romans 5, Paul tells us that through one man, Adam, sin and death entered the world. Sin and its consequence spread to everyone. It was now a part of our DNA. We were helpless enemies of God because of that sin. That is why Jesus had to come into the world as a human. He had to die to take our place so that through His death and resurrection, we would receive God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

The mother of the Messiah had to be a virgin who conceived by the Holy Spirit because the corrupt seed of Adam could not be passed on to Him. He was truly Immanuel, God with us! The angel was letting Joseph know that the child Mary carried was the very child foretold by the prophet Isaiah. His mind had to be blown.

Today’s truth is that the Christmas story isn’t a sweet story about a tiny baby born in a manger. It’s an incredible story of a promise fulfilled, and grace and forgiveness poured out as God became one of us to save us from our sins.

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Nov 29

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 5

by Debbie

Day Four was a page-turner. Mary, a virgin contractually bound to marry Joseph, comes up pregnant. He is not the father. Joseph could have had her stoned for adultery, but he is kind and righteous and is contemplating his plan to break off the engagement quietly. I wish I knew more about their love story. Did he love Mary, or was he just the kind of guy who always wanted to do the right thing? He didn’t have to love her. With arranged marriages, we don’t know if he really knew her at all. All we know is that he was a righteous man with a really big problem to solve.

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20 (NLT)

Joseph planned to quietly break off this engagement because how could he believe what Mary probably told him about the angel and how she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit? Did she tell him about all the things the angel had told her about the child? If she did, he had to be thinking that this girl had some imagination. Maybe that’s why he planned to do this quietly because he thought she was a little crazy. Wouldn’t you? Then he has a dream.

Joseph was in the midst of trying to fix what he thought was broken, but God wasn’t going to leave him there in the dark. He sent Joseph an angel of his own to let him in on the plan. The angel lets him know that Mary isn’t crazy, so he doesn’t have to be afraid to go ahead and marry her. He also let him know that she was telling the truth about conceiving by the Holy Spirit.

Also, did you notice that the angel addresses him as Joseph, son of David? This is important. Even though Joseph wasn’t the true father of this child, it was still legally critical for him to be a descendant of David. He doesn’t know it yet, but this is also his ticket back to Bethlehem at just the right time for Jesus to be born there; another prophecy He will fulfill that we’ll examine later.

Today’s truth is that our plans are not always God’s plans. God can give us strategies and answers in our trouble or crisis situations that take us on His path in the purposes and plans He has for us. We must take time to seek Him today for those answers.

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Nov 27

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 3

by Debbie

“For a child is born to us, a Son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT)

“For a child is born to us…” Jesus had to be born if He was going to identify fully as a human. He became a man. Only a man could be qualified to be the Messiah our Savior and High Priest. He was fully man.

“…a Son is given to us.” Jesus is also the eternal Son of God. David Guzik says in his commentary of this verse – Jesus had to be perfect and infinite to offer an infinite atonement for our sins. The humanity of Jesus had a starting point. He is fully God and fully man. The Son was given, and at that moment, human nature was added to His divine nature.

This is a very familiar prophecy about Jesus. The hymn is running through my head. I can hear the Christmas choir singing it right now. Of course, on this side of the timeline looking back, we understand it. We know it’s Jesus he’s talking about. We know He’ll come as a baby in a manger, start His ministry at 30, do many amazing miracles, be shunned by the Jewish leaders, and eventually be condemned to death. He will be crucified and will rise again from the dead. Through all of that, He will try to get His disciples to see and understand that He is ushering in a Kingdom that is not of this world. 

I can see how the disciples and all who had been looking forward to their Messiah coming were thinking that He would come and set up His government here on earth, wipe out those pesky Romans and everyone else who were oppressing them. But Jesus was coming for so much more. He was coming, not only to set the Jewish people free but to set all men free, Jew and Gentile. They thought their oppressor was a foreign government. Jesus knew that governments come and go. Nations and kingdoms rise and fall. It was sin, the original sin that had unleashed sin and death into the world to bring darkness and oppression that had to be vanquished. Then and only then could those who believe in Jesus and what He was going to do, and what He has already done for us now, be set free and enter a Kingdom that will never end. A Kingdom and a government that rests on His shoulders.

The last line in verse seven above says, “The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” And He did. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy that was given about Him seven hundred years before He walked the earth, and He also fulfilled over three hundred prophecies about the Messiah. When we see this fulfillment, we can rest assured that everything else written in His Word will come to pass. It may not look like what we were imagining, but it will be even better.

Today’s truth is, God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, can and will fulfill every promise He’s made. His Kingdom will never end.  He will rule from the throne of David for eternity.

Thank you Jesus that we can put our full trust in You.

Christmas Thoughts on Faith

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Nov 26

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 2

by Debbie

On Day 1 we explored the fact that Jesus existed before time before He was born into the world. While we can see Jesus throughout the Old Testament, we are exploring the touch points of Him as Jesus the man. The next stop we should take is one of the prophecies about His coming.

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” Isaiah 9:2 (NLT)

Didn’t we just read in Day 1, John 1:4, that His light brought light to everyone? – “…will see a great light. …a light will shine.” Jesus, Himself says in Revelation 22:16, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.” Jesus is the light that will shine on all men.

Why is Jesus being the light of the world so important? In chapter eight of Isaiah the prophet is warning the people of Israel and Judah of the coming Assyrian invasion that would eventually take them away to Babylon. In verses 20-22, he tells them that if they don’t follow God’s instructions and teachings but contradict them, they are completely in the dark. They are told they will be weary and hungry. They will look up to heaven and down at the earth, but wherever they look there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness. Whoa! Is there no hope?

 “Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever…” Isaiah 9:1 (NLT)

Deep breath. Sigh of relief. So, when will this end? Well, the prophecy that comes next won’t come to pass for about seven hundred years. But it will come. Those who are plunged into deep darkness will see a great light when Jesus comes; God incarnate, God with us. Only He can bring light back into the world. Only He can save the people from the deep darkness they’ve been plunged into.

It wasn’t just the people in Isaiah’s time. They remained in darkness for seven hundred years looking for a Messiah who would come and save them. On this side of Jesus’ coming, there are still those who are walking in deep darkness without His light even though His light is right there to shine on them. 

Today’s truth is that we are all plunged into deep darkness without the light of Jesus. If He did not come, there would be no hope of walking out of deep darkness.

Thank you, Jesus, that You did not leave us helplessly wondering in darkness.

Christmas Thoughts on Faith

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Nov 25

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 1

by Debbie

This Christmas season I thought I would take a journey through the Christmas story and make note of the new insights God gives me. I’d like to invite you to join me over the coming days as I look at a story that is so well-known that it’s easy to skip over important truths. I hope you’ll join the journey. Let’s dig in.

“In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.” John 1:1 (AMP)

You may be saying, “Wait a minute, where’s the angel talking to Mary or the manger with the wise men and shepherds?” Well, that’s not where this story begins. It starts in the beginning, before time, before creation, before the world was made and there was nothing. Jesus was there, not the man Jesus, but the second person in the Godhead Trinity. Wow! That’s a hard one to wrap my head around, but a spiritual truth I need to know to fully understand the incredible story that unfolds as He enters our world as a man.

Before Mary, before the manger, before the wise men and shepherds, there was the Word, and He was with God in eternity, and as God, equal to the Father. He wasn’t a created being. He wasn’t a lesser god.

“He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.” John 1:2-4 (NLT)

Today’s incredible truth is that before Jesus became God incarnate – the most high God embodied in flesh, in human form – He was. He didn’t just show up on the scene the day He was born or even the day He was conceived. He was there before there was a beginning.

I look forward to tomorrow to see where the Holy Spirit leads us next. 

Christmas Thoughts on Faith

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