Post #1. The Gift of Life
Having just finished up the Christmas season, I’ll start this off with some thoughts centered around that theme on why God came to earth.
It’s interesting to me that God came and shared the announcement of His birth, a "message to ALL people," to the shepherds first. The message didn't get first delivered to the Kings or church leaders or Jewish priests. The story told in the Bible in Luke chapter 2 describes it if you want to read it again or for the first time.
Shepherds back then were some of the lowest members of society. Not highly intelligent or skilled, not well thought of, and probably very smelly. But he came to them first nonetheless. He showed us the ultimate example of humility by being born as a helpless baby, despite being the King over all the universe. Also, He came to earth for several reasons (see below from scripture). But ultimately, the solution to how messed up world had become, the thing he chose to give as the fix, was Himself. He knew that what we needed more than any fix to problems or solutions to circumstances, was the gift of himself. That’s a great reminder for me.
Jesus, called “Emanuel,” which means: God with us, came to:
1. Heal broken hearts. Luke 4:18 uses this language. Don’t we all have something that needs healing?
2. Give deliverance to the captives. (Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18) He gives freedom- those who live in sin are not free, they are held captive by it. Following Jesus is not about rules, restrictions, and no fun. John 8:36 says “Those whom He has set free…are free indeed!”
3. Give us life to the fullest (John 10:10). The abundant life, both now and eternally, is available only through Him.
4. Bring sight to the blind (Luke 4:18). Both literally and metaphorically. Healing, clarity, and direction for our lives.
5. To Die for our sins (Mark 10:45, Luke 19:10). We have all messed up. But he took care of the punishment that we deserved. The ultimate act of love and mercy.
The things we can taste, see, experience won’t ultimately satisfy us. Jesus describes His gift of life He provides as “living water.” The kind of fulfillment that is forever and perfectly satisfying. So, we might say that it isn’t about our physical well-being or comfort. He knows what we need most. I’m not sure I fully understand that but I want to know more about that.
Do you think the shepherds back then felt, at times, a little unworthy, lacking in wisdom and refinement, not prepared? It didn’t matter. Jesus came to them just as they were. We don’t need to get cleaned up first before coming to Jesus.
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ReplyDeleteHeck of a first post Leroy! I’ve never blogged before so I don’t know what this is supposed to look like but here is me rambling my thoughts. This was my first time reading Luke 2, so thank you for getting me into the Bible. After reading for a bit I figured I ought to start at the beginning to get a better understanding, so I ventured into Mathew. After a bit through that, I realized I wanted to start at the no shitter beginning. As of this evening I’m at Genesis 21 and I can’t seem to get enough. I’m also supplementing with some Rightnow media video/podcasts on the book of Genesis, which are helping me gain a better understanding.
ReplyDeleteI can’t smartly talk about most things in your post but I can tell you that I truly enjoy reading it and I’ve read it a ton of times. For me, just knowing that when God saw the earth all messed up, and chose the one gift of himself for our healing, shows me his incredible faith in us. He has eternal faith in us and we need to have eternal faith him during all of our times, the good and the bad. Our faith in him and knowing he has a plan, will lead us to an eternal life filled with God’s love. After all, didn’t he create love, and then created humans to have a relationship with him and share in that love? Or maybe I read that part wrong…
I am a bit embarrassed to admit my own lack of education on religion but as you can tell by my post…that’s where I’m at. The Bible I’m reading now is a kids bible with side explanations, which might explain why my post might sound like it’s from a kid. Oh well, got to start somewhere.
What an awesome explanation of God’s love! Could’ve said it better myself! Also- don’t be embarrassed where you’re at- we are all growing. And remember, Jesus said we must have “faith like a child!”
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DeleteHey guys. Good post Leroy, I definitely see the analogy between the shepherds back then and most of us today...feeling unworthy and not prepared. Maybe that's the reason guys (me) don't go "all in" when it comes to living a Christian lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed reading Letters from a skeptic, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some of those same doubts that his father has. The replies from his son are great.
As I was first reading that I thought it was written by a wise old man- and then I realized it was you, Leroy.. and you truly are a wise man… and maybe just a little old. I often imagine Jesus and how he lived his life and it’s always inspiring. He truly had a heart of gold and that in itself guides me often. I really like ‘Give deliverance to the captives’. I think that is really similar to what is discussed early on in Letters from a Skeptic- which is a great book BTW! Thanks for putting this together Leroy!
ReplyDeleteLove everyone’s posts! Leroy, thanks a ton for initiating this.
ReplyDeleteReferencing your post: Jesus loves parables and during His time on earth, He used parables often as part of His messages. One of my favorite parables from Jesus was written in the book of Matthew: (Matthew 18:12-14):
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.“
Jesus loves everyone but His heart really bleeds for the lost. He ultimately came to earth for one reason:
Luke 19:10 says: “The son of man came to seek and save the lost”
Not sure how I rabbit-holed down that subject. I guess that’s really been on my heart lately.
I’m really looking forward to talking to y’all tomorrow morning!