The Light, Our Light

By Laurie Ness

Depravity.  It courses through my veins, tempting me to do wrong.  It's what Adam awoke in the world when his teeth sank into the skin and flesh of that forbidden fruit.  Darkness of the soul was born and was destined to devour every future human heart.

It was determined to eat us alive.  Alive, but dead.

But then the Light came.  He gave up everything to which He had a right and emptied Himself to walk among, touch, serve, and teach hateful people.

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  John 1:4

People, though, even His own, did not accept or receive Him.  It had been foretold to them that He was coming and what He would be like.

But only a remnant chose to see Who He really was.

All the while, the darkness worked to deceive, entrap, and destroy.

There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.  He was in the world, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and those were His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. John 1:9-11

The Light rescued us, me, from what we could never overpower on our own, because Light overpowers darkness.  It isn't possible for darkness to overpower Light.  Never has been.  Never will be.

This Light came to us as a wee baby in an animal dwelling.  He wasn't a mighty king in the way they expected.

Yet He was and is the mightiest of Kings.

Let us celebrate Him who saved us from the darkness of evil.  Let us take time to reflect on what we are capable of, the lowest depths we would cower in now had the Light not come to rescue us, and rejoice in the victory in which we are free to walk!

Happy Birthday, Jesus Christ, our Light!

No longer will you have the sun for light by day,
Nor for brightness will the moon give you light;
But you will have the Lord for an everlasting light,
And your God for your glory.
Your sun will no longer set,
Nor will your moon wane;
For you will have the Lord for an everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning will be over.   Isaiah 60:19-20

His Favorite Birthday Present

By Laurie Ness

Isaiah 11:1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 

He was a baby.  As helpless and dependent as every other baby born on this earth.  As beautiful and precious to His mama as every baby ought to be.


Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

She was special in a way, but just as human as you and me.  She knew she was holding God's child, but did she understand what her grown boy would endure to save her?

Matthew 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

Do we understand what His suffering has saved us from?  Eternal separation from Him (death), shame, false guilt, darkness, foolishness, and spiritual bondage are just a few horrible things from which our Savior has delivered us.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How, then, should we celebrate His birthday?  We don't know his actual birth date, but December 25th has been deemed His birthday party day.  Does it turn out to really be about Him, though?

Generally speaking, no.  It's not about Him anymore, if it ever really was.  As a whole, people have turned this time of year into a breeding ground of discontent, materialism, greed, and selfishness.  I don't need to spell out the ways these qualities are displayed.  We all see it.

Thankfully, there are those who choose to celebrate Jesus during this season.  Jesus, the Light of the World.  Jesus, the Perfect Lamb.  Jesus, Immanuel.  Jesus, our Savior.

Close your eyes, and think on that word, Savior, for a moment.  It's breathtaking.

1 John 4:14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

Doesn't He, more than any of us, deserve to have His birthday celebration be about Him?  After all, though He was born in lowly human conditions, He was/is as much God as His Father was/is.  Jesus chose to give up His rights as God to come here for us!

There are all kinds of ways and opportunities to make this Christmas season about Him, about our love and adoration for Him.  There are needs all around us we can choose to meet in His name.  There's all kinds of giving we can do in place of getting, and ways to direct the next generation's eyes onto Jesus instead of themselves.  These are all good things.

Matthew 25:35-40:  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

I was thinking, though, and praying about what Jesus would want for a birthday present--I mean, the "bestest" thing He might want in the whole world from His followers:  To be truly followed by those who claim him, not just during the Christmas season, but every day of the year; to be cherished, adored, and obeyed by us, to the best of our ability, every single day; to see His followers meet the needs we are able to meet through Him all year long!

I don't know if I've got it right, as far as what His favorite birthday present from His people might be, but certainly we can't go wrong to give Him our whole selves each and every day!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Soon after I wrote the above, I saw this lovely video by Ann Voskamp and Liz Curtis Higgs, and just knew I needed to share it with you ladies.  It's a little over an hour long, but, if you have a quiet hour to set aside, wrap your cold hands around a mug of something warm and treat yourself to the wisdom and charm of these two precious ladies.  They're actually kind of advertising their new advent books, but the video is really a delight to watch, and they offer a lot of insight for free! ;)  Click here to view the video.

The Treasure of Surrender

By Laurie Ness

We have all heard about the wise men who visited Jesus sometime after His birth.  We are told (not by Scripture) that there were three of them, and most nativity scenes would have us believe they showed up at the same time as the shepherds.  The truth is that the Bible doesn't specify how many there were (only that there were three types of gifts) or exactly how long after Jesus' birth they found Him.

Here is what we do know for sure:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.  (Matthew 2:1-12)

We know the above details are true because they are in the Word of God!  Isn't it wonderful how we can trust and learn from His Word?

I want to be wise.  I'll bet you do, too!  What can we learn from these men who were known to be wise?

  
They studied.  They must have been students of at least portions of the Old Testament Scripture to know the prophecies of the birth of the King of the Jews.  Certainly they studied science/astronomy to be able to know the star to follow.  What can I do to be wise?  I can study Scripture and be knowledgeable about what is going on in the world around me!

They followed in obedience.  Some estimate that these men might have traveled 800-900 miles to find Jesus.  That's not something most people would do on a whim.  They were confident that the Lord would lead them in the right way.  They knew they were called by God to follow that star!  What can I do to be wise?  I can trust God's leading in my life and follow it, knowing He will never lead me astray.

They worshiped Jesus.  These men "rejoiced exceedingly with great joy," and, "fell to the ground and worshiped Him."  What can I do to be wise?  I can choose joy in every circumstance and purposefully worship the Lord every day--not just Sunday at church!

They gave Jesus their treasures.  

All of the above led to this moment.

Their treasures!

"But I don't have anything worth all that much," you might say.  I would say that same thing sometimes!

Is that what Jesus would say, though?  I mean, He made us, and He paid the price to redeem us!  Have we heard it so much that we forget what it really means?  The high, high price we could never pay on our own . . . we were doomed before He stepped in and suffered tremendously to pay it for us.

We are valuable to Him.  Our lives are the treasures we can choose to lay down at His feet.

"But all I feel like I have to offer right now are brokenness and loneliness," some might think.

So, lay it down.

Yes!  Lay it down at His feet!  Whatever it is that burdens you, He invites you to cast it on Him because He cares for you!  Depression.  Anger.  Addiction.  Bitterness.  Grumpiness.  Stress.   Anxiety.  Greed.  Impatience.  Attention-seeking.

None of the above sounds like treasure.
The treasure is in trusting our Savior enough to surrender it.  We don't deserve in our own right to be able to do that, yet it's what He offers us.  Not only does He offer, but He wants us to allow Him to carry our burdens.  He wants us to!

We don't have to travel hundreds of miles to unpack our "treasures" before Him.  Right now, wherever we are, He is before us.  Let's lay it down, sisters!

His Birthday List

by Laurie Ness

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:14-16

Just about every popular Christmas CD, from Bing Crosby to Jars of Clay, includes the artist's interpretation of one of my very favorite yuletide songs, "The Little Drummer Boy."  The sweet lyrics bring a lump to my throat every time I stop to focus on what their message is conveying.

My favorite part goes something like this:

"Baby Jesus . . . I am a poor boy, too . . .
I have no gift to bring . . . That's fit to give the King . . .
Shall I play for you . . . On my drum?

Mary nodded . . . The ox and lamb kept time . . .
I played my drum for Him . . . I played my best for Him . . .
Then He smiled at me . . ."

The whole point of this imaginative story set to music is that we all have something to give.  Someone might not have two dimes to rub together, but still has a big gift to give Jesus.  In fact, Jesus isn't really impressed by money given out of abundance anyway.  See what He says in Luke 21:1-4.

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

She gave all she had, ladies!

It was a sacrifice!

What do we know of sacrifice?  Do we really put it all on the line for our Savior, who gave everything for us?  Whether or not we have money to give, there is always something more, something deeply felt we can offer, isn't there?


Let's ask ourselves this:  What can I give Jesus?

If Jesus had a birthday list, might it look something like this?

1. Wrap up all your self-centered attitudes, lay them at My feet, and I will take them away.
2. Ask me to replace those with patience toward the annoyances in life.
3. Bless your family, friends and enemies, even when you feel they don't deserve the best of you.
4. Reach out to that bitter woman. I know she's no fun to be around, but she needs My love. I want you to love her with My love.
5. Surrender that Christmas gift you want so badly this year, and use the money to bless a family in need. I acknowledge your wants, but they still aren't as important as their needs.
6. That relationship that isn't pleasing to Me--please do what you know you need to do.
7. All that credit you're taking for the fabulous things you do--Who gave you the ability to do those things?  Where does the glory and honor belong?
8. Let go of that grudge you're holding and bestow mercy and forgiveness.
9. Use your (My) time and resources wisely.
10. Please celebrate ME on the day set aside to recognize My birth.  And continue that celebration the remainder of the year as well.

I wouldn't be surprised if, at the top of His list, He'd want us to do what the fictitious little drummer boy, and those very real shepherds, did:  show up!  They took the time to be in the very presence of the Son of God!  They worshiped Him in their own unique ways, as God had gifted them.  Perhaps they were even a bit out of their comfort zones.  In any case, they came to Him, recognized Him, glorified Him and told others about their encounter with God.

May we not forget to set aside time in this busy season to sit at His feet and wish Him a happy birthday!