When Jesus entered the world

God determined the perfect time for His Son to enter the world...during the reign of a king who would seek to kill Him rather than love Him. It seemed to be a theme in His life. His parents' response was to grow Him up. Hebrews 5.8 says he learned obedience from what he suffered. The verse before this says, "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." He learned how to submit to God, not just in the direction for His earthly life, but also in the suffering that he faced. He learned to pour out His suffering at God's feet recognizing that God is the only One who could save Him from whatever it was He needed to be saved from (and just like for us, there is much we need to be saved from on this earth).

You're likely facing some sort of adversity or suffering right now. What are you learning from what you've suffered? Eeeekk.. Honestly, I'd have to say that I've learned a lot of self-protection...lots and lots of it. I've certainly learned to pour out at God's feet, and He has brought me far because of it. But along with it, I've also taken on (or kept) some bad habits...like, rather than setting healthy boundaries for myself in some areas, I've put demands on others for what is acceptable (eg, "Don't you talk to me that way!" rather than "If you choose to talk to me that way, there will be consequences."). Or when someone hurts me, I may refuse to be vulnerable with them.

As I look at Jesus' example, I love (and am deeply challenged by) His response to Peter, in particular, in John 13 and 14. Jesus is telling His disciples that "His time has come" and that He would be leaving them soon. Peter's response is to want to go with Him and proclaims that he is "ready to die for" Him. Jesus knows right then that Peter will not only NOT be willing to die for Him, but that Peter would actually betray Him by denying that he even knows Jesus...three times...before the next morning.

That would probably be enough for me to say, "Forget you...I already know the depth (or shallowness) of your faithfulness to me. I don't need that." But not Jesus. His response was, "'Don't be troubled. ...trust in me. ...I am going to prepare a place for you. ...When everything is ready, I will come and get you." I'm sure His heart was broken by the knowledge that even His closest friends would betray Him. Yet I think He could still be vulnerable because (Heb. 5.8) He submitted Himself to (the trustworthy) God, pouring out to God all that troubled Him, so that He could choose to follow the more vulnerable path that God had laid out for Him...that vulnerable path that He also lays out for each of us.

God offers us the same opportunity. Philippians 4.6 directs us to tell God what we need and thank Him for all that He's done. Pour out to Him...and then we can have peace.

As a final thought, and as I return to my original thoughts on Jesus being born under the reign of a king who wanted Him dead, it causes me to wonder a bit about "the three wise men." I wonder what made them so wise...maybe b/c they knew when to leave their work to go worship. Worship requires trust. Worship and trust go hand in hand with pouring out to Him. Let's not neglect to leave our work to worship when His presence draws us.

Move It or Lose It

I'll just be real with you: we're getting older. It seems that, in general, there is less demand on our bodies as we age. When I was a bit younger and had younger kids, I remember my mother-in-law asking me if I ever sat down. I think, then, it was probably only to change a diaper. Several years ago, I was chasing toddlers all over...even in the middle of the night I would be up with a crying baby, or a kid with a wet bed, or you name it. Now, there are still just as many demands on my time, yet it's different. Rather than chasing kids, I now sit in the van and drive teenagers all over; and when I'm not doing that, I'm sitting and working at my computer...writing a workbook, editing something, or working on some other digital project.

Our ancestors used to be on their feet all day long plowing fields, building fences and other structures, baling and stacking hay and straw...much physical labor. Technology, however, has driven many of us to sit all day long.

Have you felt the impact of that yet? I have. Much of this past year I took a bit of a sabbatical from exercise and found that "I'm losing it." What I'm gaining: aches and pains. Shortness of breath. I've gotten weaker, less flexible. Low energy level...tired a lot. I didn't realize how much impact just walking briskly 20 minutes a day, 3 or 4 days a week had on me. Two weeks ago, I left my sabbatical and began to "move it" again...3 days last week, and so far, 2 this week.

Have you felt the "move it or lose it" impact anywhere else in your life? The Apostle Paul says in the Bible, "for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (1 Tim. 4.8) Seeing and feeling the impact of my physical laxity, I'm not only motivated to re-build what I've lost physically, but I'm also motivated to maintain and stretch what I have spiritually. I saw and felt the frustrating impact of the physical loss. If that's only of "little value", I certainly don't want to lose the spiritual, which is of much greater value.

What am I doing today to exercise spiritually?