Christ-Centered Christmas -- Day 15
On Day 14, we looked at a teenaged Mary. She was a godly young woman who was striving to live a righteous life. Amazingly, an angel shows up and calls her “favored by God.” Yet, that “favor” leads to an unplanned pregnancy, difficulty with her then-fiancé, and child-birth in a cold, stinking stable.
Perhaps you can relate to Mary a bit. You have tried to live right. You have endeavored to stay true to the Lord and faithful to His teaching, yet life seems to be getting harder not easier. In times like that, it is important to realize that God’s love and favor do not mean that life is going to be neat, easy, and predicable.
God never promises that. What He does promise, however, is to be with us every step of the way.
THINK
Have you ever been in a situation that was so tough, you were tempted to shout out, “This is not fair, God!” If so, when?
Hebrews 11 is called the “Hall of Faith” chapter. Yet, what did these faithful people have to endure in verses 8, 9, 13, 26, and 35-37?
American Christianity has become very wrongly self-focused. How then does God use difficulty to get our eyes off of ourselves and onto Him?
How do difficulties show whether or not you have a strong commitment to the Lord?
PRAY
Thank God for being with you in the midst of all your struggles
Confess to God, if necessary, being more self-focused than God-focused
Ask God to deepen your faith
Ask God to strengthen your commitment to the Lord
APPLY
We know that bad things can happen to good people. Think about struggles you are going through now.
Spend some time asking God what He wants to teach you through these situations
Consider reading one of these books: The Problem of Pain or A Grief Observed both written by C.S. Lewis. (The latter written after the tragic death of his wife.)
