Tag Archives: Christmas

Dueling Dualities-The 2nd Day of Christmas

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On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me the remedy for dealing with dualities (Zechariah 9:2-10).

Do you struggle in duality? I’m not necessarily talking about with being bipolar, though I know some of us have that struggle, but I mean the daily balance of walking in roles that are quite the opposite in their space or function: leader at work-servant at home; cheerful cheerleader-strict disciplinarian; husband’s lover-children’s mother. For me, these roles are sometimes like day and night, hot and cold, dead and alive, good and bad. Some days I flow with cheering the children on and fumble with disciplining them. Other days I serve my family well and forget about ministry meetings. And it’s hard to get turned on when I can’t turn off my mommy mode. Though I know these seemingly polar opposites can exist in the same space, can receive my proper attention, I falter when I fail to continually look to Jesus as my perfect example.

Throughout Zechariah, Jesus is seen in His seemingly opposite roles of servant and king and man and god. He was the humble king who before was pierced as a man then rose with all power in His hands because He is God (Zechariah 9:9-10, 12:10 and Hebrews 1:3). He navigated these roles by remembering who He served, why He served and what He needed to serve.

  • He served God the Father—“Jesus saith unto them, ‘My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work’” (John 4:34).
  • He served to reconcile man to God—Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly” (John 10:10). Read also 2 Corinthians 5:21.
  • He needed the word of God and prayer—“Jesus said unto him, ‘It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God’” (Matthew 4:7).

    • Yeah, we were created in God’s image and have been given the ability to operate in our dualities by remembering we serve God; that our actions help reconcile our families and others to God; and that we can serve by standing on God’s word and praying. God created our dualities and because He did and empowers us to operate in them, I know I don’t have to duel with navigating them but only look to Him for help.

    God’s Temple-The 3rd Day of Christmas

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    “’The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Haggai 2:9).

    Beyond majestic is what this latter temple will be, filled with gold and silver from God and whatever else He believes will make it glorious, including the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some commentators believe this temple speaks about the millennial temple, the one in which Jesus will reign after His second coming. Others believe it refers to the one during Jesus’ first time on earth, the temple Herod the Great took great lengths to expand and beautify. Whichever temple, one thing is sure: with Jesus’ presence there is peace and that’s where I want to be.

    So right here on earth, before Christ’s earthly reign in a building made with hands, I will work to glorify my temple, my God–built and –housed body—to allow Jesus’ peace to pass in it. This body, Christ’s present earthly dwelling place, is a little marred, suffering from external and internal strife, not all from my making but some I surely can shake. So I seek to rid myself of too much yeast and sugar that depress my immune system, causing acne and aches and breaks in my soul that always conceal God’s glory, if only to me. I plan to step on my stepper and dance my African dances to move this body, God’s body, into something more healthy, more physically beautiful.

    As Christmas approaches, with all its parties and pleasant pastries and filling foods, I hope we all remember God’s bodies and serve them modestly so God’s glory shines mightily and His peace prevails through every limb. May the glory of our latter temple be greater than the former, this is my prayer.

    Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

    The Day of the Lord-The 4th Day of Christmas

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    On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a look at His judgment and His peace (Zephaniah 1:2-7).

    Sunday is also known as the Lord’s Day, the time when Christians focus on God, giving Him their all. This is our day, but God has a day, too, the Day of the Lord, where He gives the world His all—His judgment and to the remnant of Israel His blessing. These are the pictures we see in Zephaniah.

    “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests, those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom, those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.” Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.—Zephaniah 1:2-7

    The Lord reveals that no man or beast will miss His wrath except for those “the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated…,” the remnant of Israel. This sacrifice is the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His guests are those who accept Him as Savior and Lord (Hebrews 10:12, Matthew 10:6, 15:24). And we know this group is not just the remnant of Israel but anyone who makes such a decision for Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10). We escape God’s ultimate wrath and rest in Him. Zephaniah details God’s presence, power and protection for the remnant (3:17-19), three attributes Jesus has for all believers (Hebrews 13:5b; 1 John 2:14b; and John 10:29).

    No one has to endure God’s wrath. Everyone has a chance to receive Him. And those of us who have Jesus as Savior and Lord should make it a priority, especially this advent season, to share with others about Jesus’ presence, power and protection, which is reserved only family. If given the opportunity, make sure to invite them to our family.

    For help leading someone to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, read John 3:14-18; Romans 3:23, 6:23, 8:1, 10:9-10 & Ephesians 2:8-9.

    Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

    Right Now Salvation-The 5th Day of Christmas

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    On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me feet like hinds’ feet (Habakkuk 3:19).

    One of the problems I had with Christianity before I became a Christian was when the saints only looked for hope in the “by and by” and not the here and now. They talked so much about heaven and only longed to be there that some of their prayer meetings could have easily been pity party suicide watches. While they talked about their rough lives that Jesus would save them from in the by and by, I wondered when the day might be that they would check out of the here and now to hurry the by and by. Perhaps some of the saints never read Habakkuk 3:18-19:
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    God’s Two Sides-The 6th Day of Christmas

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    On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me His peace in the midst of wrath (Nahum 1:2-8).

    This world is full of Cumbayah feel good images of God. We cry out to Him and He will be there to fix what ails us, whether we belong to Him or not, whether we are righteous or unrighteous. We expect God to be there because He is a loving God. Yes, He is a loving God. “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16) and “God is love” (1 John 4:8) tell us this, but when we have an imbalanced view we forget the other side to God.

    God [is] jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and [is] furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth [wrath] for his enemies. The LORD [is] slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit [the wicked]: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds [are] the dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. . . .But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies (Nahum 1:2-6, 8).

    We see a picture of God who has a right to expect us to be loyal to Him and to avenge the hatred from His enemies. He is a just God. One of God’s characteristics is righteousness. Anytime God displays wrath is an act of justice. He is never violent for violence sake, striking out of pure evil. This picture in Nahum is a horrific image of the other side of God, one we see in the attributes of Jesus, but it’s never one that we see right away.

    “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God doesn’t want anyone to spend eternity without Him nor does He want us to walk unrighteously after accepting Him as our very own. So he waits and waits and waits, giving us a chance to walk in His way. Even in the midst of His fury, like what we see in Nahum, He sees us who continue to walk after righteousness. Verse 7 says: “The LORD [is] good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” This is our God of two sides—equally loving and equally just, but His love doesn’t cancel his justice, and we should never make the mistake and thinking that it does (Galatians 6:7-8). And always remember when His wrath comes, we can be spared in the midst of it.

    Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith