Prosperity

             But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. (Psalm 37:11, New International Version)

I wasn’t going to write a blog today. It’s New Year’s Eve and you all have other things to do than to read my drivel. I also thought I’d written about all the P words already this month. Time to move on, right?

Then I woke up this morning, and God planted the word “prosperity” on my heart.

We might have mixed feelings about that word. What comes to my mind is the Ghost of Christmas present from the 1985 version of A Christmas Carol. The character is dressed in a green, velvet robe, surrounded by a smorgasbord of rich foods, lite candles, and all that glitters. (Sorry if you never saw that particular movie; maybe we are still enough in the Christmas season that you can find it on TV.)

I’m not sure why that’s the picture I have of prosperity, but that’s just what’s in my head. All the food one could what, expensive clothes, a lot of light to chase away anything bad, and silver and gold.

But those are all earthly possessions, things that don’t last, that won’t have any value in the end. What makes us rich is having loved ones around us, having joy in our hearts, and having Jesus as our Savior.  

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11, New International Version)

Yes, I love my new kitchen cupboards, but my family is what makes me feel prosperous. 
 

Perfection

Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows. (James 1:17, New Century Version)

I’ve spent the month of December blogging about words from the Bible which begin with the letter P. I’ve also shared a few snippets of living in a house being remodeled. We are nearing the end of both, but I think the month of P’s will end before the remodel.

The last item which needs to be installed is the bathroom sink, which isn’t set to arrive until the first week in January. You’ll have to wait for the final reveal, with before, during, and after pictures. In the meantime, though, I think everything has turned out perfectly. Maybe not perfect for everyone else – there are the little idiosyncrasies, which some may not like – but to me that’s what makes this house my home.

Speaking of perfection, we all know that only God can make things which are perfect, without flaw. And His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ is the only person who was ever perfect.  

But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.” So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can live in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9, New Century Version)

Praise

  

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2:15-20, New International Version)

Hoping that everyone had a joyous Christmas and wishing you God’s blessing in the New Year.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3, New International Version)

Proclaim

  

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest,

    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

 (Luke 2:8-14, New International Version)

Wishing you many blessings this Christmas and all year long. 

Placed

             So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. (Luke 2:4-7, New International Version)

I’ve written my blog posts this month around various words which begin with the letter P. Today, Christmas Eve, I had to share these verses from the book of Luke, which include only two words that begin with a P. Pledge is the same thing as promise, which I wrote about a few weeks ago. And that leaves us with the word placed.

Picture the young – and exhausted – new mother Mary gently placing her newborn Son in the manger filled with straw. She might have laid back on some straw herself, while Joseph stood nearby, attentive and alert. Baby Jesus looked around his surroundings, at the rough stable walls, perhaps carved out of stone. He listened to the cows lowing and the other livestock settling in to sleep. Can you imagine what he smelled? Probably not freshly mown hay, but more like freshly deposited animal waste.

God hears, sees, smells, and feels everything we do, but this was the first time he experienced those sensations through a human body.  

Just as Mary placed her Baby Boy in the manger, God has placed certain gifts on our hearts. Hope, peace, love. This year at Christmas, focus on those gifts, the things you have inside of you, instead of the external chaos the world inflicts upon you.

May God bless you with hope, peace, and love this Christmas and all year long.   

 

Patience

     We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy. (Colossians 1:11, New Living Translation

Patience. A virtue I have not been blessed with. I think many are in the same boat. We get impatient when the computer is too slow or when the line at the store is too long or when we can’t complete a task on the first try. And maybe we lose our patience with God when we feel He hasn’t answered our prayers.

I’ve had that kind of a month, maybe even that kind of year. Nothing seems to be going right. The only thing I’m not impatient for is Christmas, because I am so not ready for it! I’ll never get everything done in the next two days!

Kind of a horrible thing to say, isn’t it? The real meaning of Christmas isn’t about seeing how much someone can cram into the month of December. It’s about patiently waiting for Baby Jesus to be born and then patiently waiting for his return one day.

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.(1 Timothy 1:15-17, New Living Translation)

Providing Presents

 

        For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:4-6, New International Version)

I woke up in the middle of the night, thinking it must be morning already, as there was light outside sneaking in around the curtains. I couldn’t check the time on the clock radio, as the power had been out from a wind storm since Wednesday night. I reached for my travel clock but dropped it on the floor. My cell phone was turned off to conserve its battery, so I pulled my Kindle from my nightstand and turned it on. Hmm? 1:11 am.

It was still cold in the bedroom – we’d managed to keep the house between 50 and 55 degrees for the past three days – and there was nothing to do but sleep under the cozy covers.

About that time Hubby woke up and asked, “is that the garage spotlight on outside?”

“Remember, we don’t have any electricity?”

I rolled over and noticed that the light which looked like morning on the rest of the walls was definitely not from nature. Four slats of light in two different spots shone above Hubby’s dresser.

Aliens?

I crawled out from the warm blankets and peeked out the window. I was transported back to my parents’ house when I was five years old and the tree on Christmas morning sheltered a plethora of beautifully wrapped gifts. No one has ever described a pair of Public Service trucks in that way before!

Through the window of the back door, inside my fifty-degree house, I watched them work for an hour in the twenty-degree cold in the woods behind our home The pole holding our electric line swayed as the young man climbed it, then reached out as his partner threw him various things. In the dark, with just their headlamps and one other light on the ground.

At 2:35 am, exactly 72 hours after going out, our power was restored.

There is no gift so great as total strangers supplying you with electricity, heat, and running water in the middle of the night. Or that’s the greatest gift any human can give.

God is ever-present to provide for us in every way, to provide us with the necessities as well as the presents we ask for.

And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:12-13, New International Version)

Persevere and Persist

      And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5, New King James Version)

Persevere and persist. If ever those words needed to be on my mind, it is now. As you know, my kitchen and bathroom are still in disarray. I washed dishes in the shower again last night, and even our second bathroom has been affected. 

And if that isn’t enough, the new electronic health record at work continues to feel like a kidney stone in my side. But, at least I’m blessed with the best co-workers, and we are doing our best to get through this trial together.

However, with all this going on, I feel like a whiner when I watch the news or read the obituaries. So much sadness and struggle everywhere.

But we will persevere and persist.

       To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. Romans 2:7, New International Version

Especially this time of year, when I think of what Mary and Joseph faced – the fear of what would become of Mary as an unwed mother, the stress Joseph felt by doing what was best for her, the journey to Bethlehem to find the only place to rest their heads was a stable. They were able to persevere and persist and bring Jesus into this world, because they had faith.

Do we have that kind of faith in God to bring us through these times?

Power

             Summon your might, O God. Display your power, O God, as you have in the past. (Psalm 68:28, New Living Translation)

One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. (Luke 9:1, New Living Translation) 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7, New King James Version)

The word power can have several different meanings. And even though it is used in various contexts throughout the Bible, when we associate the word power with God, we think of Him as being mighty and all-powerful, able to move mountains and stop the rivers from flowing.

But here’s the thing, even with all that power, God sent His Son to earth in the form of a powerless baby. Then, as a grown man, instead of using his power to defeat armies and rule the world, Jesus used his power to perform miracles – healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, calming the storm.

As his life came full circle, he once again appeared powerless as he hung on the cross, dying. But, then, he rose from the dead on the third day, defeating our sin. One day he will return, victorious and powerful over all. 

And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:12-13, New International Version)

Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27, Revised Standard Version)

I’m not going to lie – it was a rough week at work. This chick is getting too old to learn yet another computer system. But I made it to Friday. Woot, woot! Three-day weekend. The kitchen remodel is going okay, and the guys won’t be coming over today. I can get some cleaning done and still have time for peace and quiet.

Peace is sometimes hard to find in this crazy, messed-up world. We feel we are running in circles and going nowhere. But we will always have the peace of our Lord and Savior.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7, New International Version)

Thinking of the birth of the baby Jesus, I forgot to mention something on Wednesday’s blog about pain. I didn’t count the number of Bible verses with the word pain in them, but I did notice that many – at least half, I’d say – were about the pain of labor and childbirth. We always picture Mary laying peacefully in the stable with her newborn Baby, but did she experience the pain that the rest of us women did when we had our babies? Or did God spare her from that? Just wondering. 

Pain

Why is there no end to my pain? And why will my hurt not be healed? Will You be to me like a river that flows with water some of the time and is dry at other times? (Jeremiah 15:18, New Life Version)

We’ve all dealt with our share of pain. If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you may recall my kidney stone, bursitis, and broken foot.

But physical pain isn’t all we deal with. Over the last two years, we’ve all faced emotional pain as we’ve watched loved ones suffer and die in this pandemic. We’ve had concerns about our government and the environment, as well as fears from escalating violence. Some days, it’s a struggle to find anything to smile about.

For me, most recently, it’s been mental pain, as our clinic has transitioned to a new electronic health record. I just cannot cram any more information into my head. When I had a massage last Friday, I asked my therapist if there was any way to massage my brain; that’s the muscle with the most tension right now.

But why write about all these pains now, when we should be celebrating the upcoming joyous season of Christmas? Because we need to remember the reason for this season. If Jesus hadn’t come to this earth as a helpless baby all those centuries ago, we would feel every one of those pains with so much more intensity. We would only have despair and hopelessness. Instead we can look to Christ’s second coming and the time when all our pains will be erased.  

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. (Revelation 21:4, New Living Translation)

Another pain I experienced this week – more work had to be done in our bathroom to fix this problem. But God has even got those kinds of pains taken care of. 

Promises

 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.” (Jeremiah 33:14-16, New International Version)

The Old Testament is filled with prophecy, predictions and promises. Many of them pointing to the Savior which God planned to provide. (Is that too many P’s? Probably, but I’ve decided that this month I would write about words beginning with a P.)

There are 17 prophetic books in the Old Testament. The prophets writing these books warned people of that time that they needed to repent of their sins and turn their lives over to God. They also wanted to share a message of hope by letting these sinners know that God was sending Someone who was going to bail them out. 

Our weatherman promised us a winter storm today. Looks like one of his predictions is actually happening. Good thing that all of God’s promises always come true.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for sending Your One and Only Son to save us all from our sins and allow us to have eternal life with you. Amen. 

Preparing

      Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Back in April, when our contractor gave us the dates for when he could remodel our kitchen and bathroom, I first said “no, we can wait until the first of the year”. As much as I wanted to get this project done, I did not want my house torn apart just before Christmas. I wanted to spend the month of December putting up Christmas decorations all throughout the house and sitting back, enjoying them.

Instead, here I am, with every room in the house in utter chaos. I never realized how much stuff is in the kitchen and bathroom, all of which needs to go somewhere else for the next couple of weeks. A fine dust has also already permeated all surfaces.

But no matter what is going on around me right now, I know it will be worth it in the end. And just like I prepared my living space for this remodel by emptying the cupboards, we need to prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus and his return to save us all one day.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:1-11, New International Version)

 

Ready to Roll

I am really starting to struggle with my December blog posts. And it’s only the first!

Since I started writing this blog, eleven and a half years ago, I’ve often spent the final month of each year on various Christmas themes. Cookies, cards, carols. Special gifts, special people, special traditions. Oh, and the annual Christmas letter!

This year, I really wanted to keep it short and sweet, to the point. Something to remind us why we celebrate this time of year, what it really should be all about.

But I have a lot going on this month. In addition to the usual hecticness, today we start a new electric health record system at work, and just after I post this, our contractor will be coming to our house to begin our kitchen and bathroom remodel.

In anticipation of that last stressor, Hubby and I have been emptying out our kitchen cupboards since the weekend. Our final act was to pull out the silverware and junk drawers. At the very bottom of that cupboard, after pulling out all the drawers, I found this card.

Not exactly sure why I put this hand-written card there all those years ago. We moved into the house in 1990, so you would think that if I was going to plant a memory, it would have been then. Who knows. But I think it’s kind of cool. Maybe that’s why I put it there.

Hopefully, by Friday, I will have my Christmas theme ready to roll. 

(Whoa. After I typed that last word, it dawned on me how that word fits into the events of September 11, 2001. Do you remember?)