Christmas Reflection

Well I was asked by my church to present a Christmas reflection to the congregation tonight. I was thinking what can I do? And the idea of a blog post popped in my mind immediately. Well I think that it's time to not just share a reflection, but to reflect on the significance of the birth of my saviour.

We've all heard of Santa Clause

and reindeer.

We know all about the magic of standing

beneath a mistletoe with our loved one.

We know about the elves who work hard to make our toys 

for Christmas and

about Santa's tough night.

We strive to get on his good list and 

struggle to sleep on time so that 

he can come and deliver our gifts for us.

But something is missing in this picture, isn't it?

What about that nativity scene

that pops up every once in a 

while in someones yard?

Is that important too?

Why is it not as popular as Santa Clause and his reindeer?

At this time of year, so many things are going through our mind. 

We want to get all our Christmas shopping in

 and prepare for the big meals that 

we will be having on the day.

We get hit with the stress of hanging

the Christmas lights outside

and putting up the tree and stockings inside.

And as we're doing all these things, we might even listen to the Christmas

songs that they play on the radio.

But with all these things on our mind,

sometimes we forget the actual story.

It's not Santa Clause and his reindeer that we're celebrating 

like what the radio is telling us.

It's not about getting on Santa's good list.

Remember the line?

"You better watch out, you better not cry,

you better not pout I'm telling you why,

Santa Clause is coming to town. He's making a list, 

he's checking it twice, he's gonna find out who's naughty or nice,

Santa Clause is coming to town"

Have you ever ACTUALLY paid attention to the lyrics?

It's telling us to prepare ourselves for Santa's arrival.

But what about preparing ourselves for Jesus' arrival?

Sure he arrived 2000 years ago, but isn't it 

still important enough to prepare ourselves for the day that he arrived every year

and celebrate it?

What about Santa's list, let's look at that.

It kind of reminded me of God's list.

His big Book of Life. In which he puts all the believer's names.

But you don't get your name in the book if you are good all year,

like Santa's list. 

We don't have to worry about pleasing God.

We are permanently in the Book of Life

once we accept him.

Unlike Santa's list which is only annual.

"The angel said to them, 

"Do not be afraid. 

I am bringing you good news that will be joy to all the people. 

Today your SAVIOUR was born in the town of David. 

He is Christ, the Lord. 

This is how you you will know him: 

You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box."

Luke 2:10-12

 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are not just an insignificant village in

Judah.

A ruler will come from you

who will be like a shepherd for my

people Israel.'

Micah 5:2

The amazing thing about the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ

is that although he is God and is also God's Son,

his birth wasn't a big thing.

In Micah, it says that Bethlehem, the village in which Jesus was born

was insignificant. 

It also says in Luke that the Shepherds, 

which were the men that the angel was talking to,

would know that they found the SAVIOUR 

when they see a baby wrapped in 

cloth and lying in a feeding box.

Personally,

I don't think that this is the greatest birth locations for a saviour.

Actually, this has to be one of the worst.

Why would a saviour be wrapped in, not just one, which is normal,

but many pieces of cloth?

And to make matters worse,

he was born in a FEEDING BOX!

Shouldn't he get a more sophisticated location?

And somewhere where many people would know that

it is a very significant birth?

Well the fact that the message was delivered by an angel,

probably had more significance than

the feeding box. 

That's the amazing part,

the birth of our Saviour was so small and 

insignificant but at the same time was so significant!

Okay then, 

let's take a look at this verse:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: 

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, 

and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14:

So not only did he not have a normal birth,

but he also was born from a virgin!

That is not possible!

This truly shows that only one person can be behind this

miraculous birth, and that is God.

Jesus was born in a small animal's keep in the back of a full inn

in an insignificant village 

and the message of his birth was delivered by an angel

 and was born from

an insignificant woman that 

was a virgin.

Can any one's birth be anymore

out of the ordinary?

But God had a purpose and a reason for all of this.

But we cannot explain the reason to why God chose all of those

events for the birth of His Son.

"His thoughts are not our thoughts,

His ways are not our ways"

He was born in a messy place

to save a messy world.

But all these events show us that Jesus

is accessible to everyone. 

A homeless person can find some connection with him,

for Jesus never truly had a place to call home.

Needy people can relate because Jesus himself was poor and not wealthy.

Maybe this is the reason why God had chosen for these events,

but all we can do is praise the Father in Heaven,

and his Son for saving us and 

sending us a mediator so that we can find a way to be with the 

Father eternally.

And for delivering us out of the hands of evil,

and into the hands of love and peace.

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Stand Up

I was reading in Matthew last night from chapter 3-6 and I have read through Matthew before, but by reading through it again, your eyes pick up things that have great significance in your life than they picked up before. One of the passages that stood out to me most was a passage in Matthew 5.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a hill and sat down. His followers came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

"They are blessed who realize their

spiritual poverty,

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to

them.

They are blessed who grieve,

for God will comfort them.

They are blessed who are humble,

for the whole earth will be theirs.

They are blessed who hunger and thirst

after justice, 

for they will be satisfied.

They are blessed who show mercy to

others,

for God will show mercy to them.

They are blessed whose thoughts are pure,

for they will see God.

They are blessed who work for peace,

for they will be God's children.

They are blessed who are persecuted 

for doing good,

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to

them.

"People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be blessed. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you.""

Matthew 5:1-11

"In the same way, you should be a light for

other people. Live so that they will see the

good things you do and will praise your

Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:16

These two verses are really encouraging to me. I find that it's hard not to act as the world acts and set myself apart from it. I'm pretty sure you feel the same way too sometimes. If we act differently, we're scared of what others might think about us and what others might tell others about us. So we just act like everyone else; Pray at home before we eat, but don't pray at school before lunch, when we're at a friend's house or even at a restaurant. We soon get used to it that we don't even consider it. I know I've gotten to the point where I forget to pray before I eat my lunch at school and I've only realized it recently. I do not like that at all, and I will try to remember to pray before eating. But that isn't our only concern....there's also standing up for our faith. Even like the simple thing of telling others not to swear around us because we do not want those words in our minds, we want to have clean minds. This will let others see that you're different. It could be a good and bad thing. But should we let the worry of it being bad get to our heads? Is that what Jesus tells us to do? No! He tells us that people will insult us and hate us because we follow him. He also tells us that we will be blessed if we do what he tells us and we will be rewarded for the times that people will let us down because of our faith! He calls us to be a light for other people and live the way that he has called us to live so that they will see the good things that we do. See? If you follow him whole heartedly then you will be greatly rewarded. Do not be scared to stand up for your faith.

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Sick of Sin, But There's a Hope Within

Sick of Sin

This world is falling apart

Part by part, little pieces of hope are floating away

Losing any evidence of it being there.

People lose trust in their neighbour

They seem trustworthy from the outside,

But we all know that's just a mask hiding what is really inside their hearts.

It's just a community of pushing people down to get to the top

Instead of building each other up.

Diseases are like drops of rain falling to the ground

It just builds up momentum as it lands on one man

Soon there's many raindrops falling on everyone.

Mud fills all clear and fresh bodies of water, creating mud in other's hearts.

Soon, there's no hint of a clear picture of good life anymore.

Some people deny the reality and try to live out the good from the bad,

but it's all too clear that the bad is too overwhelming.

Putting on a face of confidence is what we all do

To hide all the hurt, depression, sadness, and sickness

that dwell in our hearts, minds and bodies.

It is all too clear that Sin is a large blanket

covering our heads

Like a child covers it's head from the creatures that lurk the darkness

in their rooms.

We are scared to change the way we live to living in the light

because we have never seen the results.

Sinning is a common trend in the world that we want to fit in too,

we don't want to be colour in shades of grey.

But we are missing the point that it's not all about us,

it's not all about who we were, are, and will be.

It's not about our pictures and their frames.

It's not about how muddy our lives are 

or how muddy others can make your life become.

It's not about our shades of grey,

or our everyday masquerades.

It's not about the individual rain drops that disfigure 

our families and our bodies.

It's not about the blanket that we cover ourselves with,

or our fear that makes us act upon our illogical decisions.

We don't need to hide anymore,

we don't need to worry about the rain,

we don't need to live in the grey or under the blankets.

We shouldn't have to worry about our muddy paths.

There's a Hope

It's all about the hope that we now have.
We don't need to look at our past anymore.
Our lives may be full of dirt,
but because of the Son's sacrifice,
Jesus' death on the Cross,
all the Father sees in us is the Son.
But does he see him in everyone?
Well those who accept the Son,
also accept the Father.
Those who accept the Father,
should also accept the Son.
If you do not accept either,
how is the Father supposed to give you the free gift of salvation
from your sin, worries,
and trials?
We need to trust in our Father.

We need to let him work in our lives,

we need to let him re-sculpt us

for we deformed his original masterpiece.
Jesus says, "...you don't have enough faith!
But I can promise you this.
If you had faith no larger than a mustard seed,
you could tell the mountain to move from here to there.
And it would.
Everything would be possible for you."
Matthew 17:20-21

See? All we need is faith in Him,
the one who created us,
breathed in us the breath of life.
For without him, we would be nothing,
without purpose.
And I encourage you to live up to that purpose,
do not let it slip through your hands,
do not cover it with sand so that the tide will wash it away.
Treasure it,
live up to it,
explore it and encourage others through it.
Let God fulfill his plans for your life.
Even with you doing your part,
you will influence others and even change their lives from
worse to better.
Through this, they will learn to influence others as well
and many people will be changed and will
have a reason to live their lives with hope
that things can get better and that they don't have to be afraid anymore.
He will cradle us like children and tell us with a soft,

calming whisper to get out of those blankets and look at what we could
make the world become.
He creates hope in our hearts and a new type of confidence.
We will know that with Him, 

we can change the broken and make it whole.
Our world won't have to be a rain forest or a drought.
Our paths will be clear and even with the storms
in our paths, we can face them with the hope that we have in Him.
For we know that even through death,
the Son of Man conquered death.
And that now, we have an eternal life with him through our own death.
There is a hope,
and a reason for the life that you're living.
Never give up for the God of the universe created you for a purpose.
YOU ARE INDIVIDUALLY PRECIOUS TO GOD
AND HE HAS A WONDERFUL ADVENTURE WAITING FOR YOU
ARE YOU READY TO ACCEPT IT?

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God's Got it Under Control, But Do YOU Have Faith that He Does?

Lately, I've been struggling with what God's plans for me are. I thought I had it figured out last year, but you never really know for sure what God is planning on bringing you through, what trials, feelings, emotions...you just don't know. Well I've been struggling with school and piano and my time with God the most. I didn't know how to manage my time and give time for each. I'd wake up super early everyday to finish unfinished homework and go to sleep really late to finish the homework. I wouldn't touch the piano more than twice a week although my teacher recommended an hour and a half every day, I was doing 2 hours a week! While struggling with that, I just couldn't get any of the lessons that my teachers taught in school because I was too tired from trying to figure out the homework the night before. You can imagine how that turns out. Aside from that, I've been trying to set some time aside for God and make sure I spent the right amount of time with him and learning more about him, problem was, I would do that way too late at night. So many things buzzing in my head at once, all the people I've disappointed, all the confusion and stress being taken out on my family. My attitude changed into an anger machine and I didn't know what to do about all my problems other than to yell and get angry at people for no reason.
That's how we as humans deal with our problems, right? We don't have the strength to turn that anger into peace. Our human bodies are too small to handle such complex problems. At that moment we turn to God and say that we cannot solve this on our own, we need his help because we are nothing and compared to him, our problems are just little ants waiting for God to play "Pop Goes the Weasel" with. I cried out to him every night, just asking him to give me some answers, and you know, through that, I noticed a way that God answers our cries. He doesn't just give you the answer like that, no! He sends people in your life, kind of like the prophets from the old testament, to help you and assist you. To point out the things you're missing, to bring you peace and happiness. He provided me with assistance and a little boost to improve things through people in my everyday life. Bit by bit, God is helping me solve my problems. Something that also helped me through was reciting my favourite verses every night to keep me going.

Sing praises to the Lord, 

you who belong to Him. 

Praise his holy name. 

For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his kindness lasts a lifetime.

Crying may last for the night,

but joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:4-5

I look up to the hills,

but where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not let you be defeated.

He who guards you never sleeps.

He who guards Israel never rests or sleeps.

The Lord guards you,

The Lord is the shade that protects you from the sun.

The sun cannot hurt you during the day,

and the moon cannot hurt you at night.

The Lord will protect you from all dangers;

he will guard your life.

The Lord will guard you as you come and go,

both now and forever.

Psalm 121

 Psalm 121 just provides more than the comfort you need. It emphasizes how the Lord will guard you and protect you, how he will not let you be defeated and it just warms my heart to read this. The Lord knows your troubles and he knows what you will need in order to conquer them. 

As we go out to fight in battle, we are unprepared and have little faith that we can defeat our enemies, we think that we would most likely not come back. We forget the power that our God has and we lose our faith. Our God sees our stuggles and as we start heading out to the battle field, he hands us our armour and swords. He tells us that if our armour gets destroyed that there will be extras. He tells us that he will put fear in our enemies hearts to help us destroy them.

This is a comparison that I made to our lives. Our battles are our everyday struggles. Our enemies are the ones that cause the struggle. They could be homework, doubts, lies, people who hurt us, depression, hurt, or gossip. Sometimes, in the midst of our worrying we forget that God is greater than all of our enemies, and we try to conquer our problems ourselves. But, without the Lord, we are unprepared. We cannot fight off our enemies on our own. They conquered our thoughts in the beginning, they filled our heads with negativity and we cannot overcome them. We are weak. But the Lord knows our stuggles, he feels our pain and he puts reminders in our lives that he is greater and that if we keep our faith in him, we will be able to conquer the negatives. Just like God put people in my life to guide me and how he reminded me of those verses every night, he will definitely help you. You just have to be watchful of those things that he's going to place in your life to get you back on the narrow path again. You need to find those things and remind yourself that "this is God's plan" and that he has it under control. All you have to do is believe that he does and renew your faith in him.

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