Tag Archives: The 39 Days of Christmas

Childish Ways-The 25th Day of Christmas

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On the 25th day of Christmas my true love gave to me His faithfulness and restoration too (Ezra 10:10).

Children do childish things; they’re supposed to; they are children, and adults are charged with helping them to grow out of their childish ways as they grow in stature. These obvious nuggets have kept me for the last two weeks from being mean and screaming at my kids. When I embraced that my children continually show me their need for me, my heart opened with compassion, and now I do whatever it biblically takes to spur them on to maturity. This is the job of a parent, and I am so glad that God Himself is the greatest parent of all. When I read Ezra I see the great challenge of parenting: being faithful to guiding children that stray in order to restore them to the right place.

Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, “The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, [doing] according to their abominations, [even] of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites” (9:1).

This was after Ezra had led this remnant from years in Babylonian captivity back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. He gathered people from various tribes, including the Levites so they could have “ministers for the house of our God” (8:17). And before the return, Ezra led the group in a fast “to seek of (God) a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance” (8:21). They knew the right thing and did the right thing, but they eventually snubbed God and showed their childishness by marrying and following the abominable ways of other people. But God is faithful. He not only restored them to their land but restored them to Him (10:10-12).

Faithfulness and restoration are the constant themes in Ezra and typify the chief work of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was faithful to His mission to leave heaven to come to earth to teach us about salvation through Him and provide that for us by dying on the cross for our sins. Through Jesus we are restored to God, having been separated from God after Adam ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. The blood of Jesus Christ, the second Adam, covers those of us who accept His death, burial and resurrection in the pardoning of our sins. God the Father sees that Jesus’ blood covers our sins. And when we pray, Jesus Christ still intercedes for us while seated at the right hand of God the Father.

I need to be covered. Just like the Israelites, I know to do right and do right, sometimes, but there are times when I lose my head and start acting just as childish as the children I’m supposed to be teaching. I remember how God dealt with the Israelites, how He deals with me, allowing them to turn away from their waywardness and walk with Him. He is my great stabilizer. When in my sin, I seek to quickly remember His mercy and thank Him for His grace and allow them both to carry me to maturity. I remember what He does for me and offer the same to my little men, wanting them to know through me God’s faithfulness and restoration.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Build a Bangin’ Body-The 26th Day of Christmas

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On the 26th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a temple for his honor and glory (2 Chronicles 2:1).

I remember the days when I would spare no expense, going on trips on a whim and purchasing items that fancied me. Being naturally frugal, I managed to keep myself in check, occasionally pausing to ask if I really needed what I wanted to buy. Sometimes I think this frugality creeps into my spiritual life, preventing me from extravagantly taking care of my body, the temple of God. When I read the details after the following verse, I got convicted: Continue reading →

The Underdog Rises-The 27th Day of Christmas

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On the 27th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a Savior from the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:1).

We like cheering for the underdog, but none of us wants to be the underdog. I know I don’t, and when I find myself in that position my mind goes to Mark 9:35 that says, “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” Jesus said this to his disciples who were debating about who was the best among them. He gave them this lesson in humility, and they didn’t get it, and neither did Leah, Jacob’s first wife who he treated as the last.

I have always felt sorry for Leah. Many of us know her story. Her father tricked Jacob into marrying her instead of her beautiful younger sister, Rachel, who Jacob wanted to marry. She wasn’t very attractive; her husband didn’t want her and nothing she did made him want her; and she spent the first seven years of marriage watching her husband work so he could marry her sister. She definitely was the underdog and knew it (though I wonder how complicit she was in the trickery and may have contributed to her being undesired. I don’t know, but that’s beside the point right now.).

The only time Leah was on top was when she got pregnant and gave birth to sons, something every man wanted to carry on the family legacy. After she had Judah, her fourth son, “[t]hen she stopped bearing” (Genesis 29:35). And then she took matters into her own hands. After seeing Rachel’s maid giving birth on behalf of her barren sister, Leah, too, gave her maid to Jacob so she could try to have more sons. Leah was dissatisfied with Judah being her last, thinking he represented the end of her being able to conceive. What Leah didn’t know was that Judah may have been last at that moment, but he was destined to be first:

“The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal.”—1 Chronicles 4:1.

This is the beginning of the genealogies of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Even though Judah was the last son when Leah took matters into her own hands, he has the first genealogical listing, representing his prominence, but chiefly representing the preeminence of Jesus Christ, “the lion from the tribe of Judah.” While Leah jockeyed to be first, she had no idea that the Savior of the world would come through her womb, the first and the last, all we ever need, whether we’re the underdog or the top dog. When we get to the point where we stop conceiving, let us not take matters into our own hands trying to conceive a plan, project or even a baby that may be out of God’s order. Our last conception may very well be our best and the one God will have rise to the top.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Grace for Today-The 28th Day of Christmas

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On the 28th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, hope, grace and life to settle me (2 Kings 4:7.

I could sure use some hope today and some grace, not just today but every day. These make for a powerful and tranquil life, what we need in order to thrive in this dastardly world. Sometimes we Christians think this type of life is far from us, beyond our reach, relegated to biblical times. And in these times, we think we must resort to strong black woman ways or any other way the world says is effective in prospering today. I used to believe this until I really started believing what God’s word says.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (emphasis mine), and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.—James 5:17-18

If a man with a nature like ours could pray hard enough to move God to control the rain in his favor, surely we can have hope to trust in God’s grace to empower our lives daily. We see this in Elijah’s successor, the prophet Elisha, who asked for and received more power than even Elijah had. His life epitomized hope through God’s grace, which empowered his life and helped him give life to many, including one unsuspecting widow.

The woman was desperate. Her husband was dead. Her creditors were coming, and she didn’t know what to do, but she knew who to turn to. Elisha told her to use the only thing she had in her house—oil, and it proved to be more than enough.

Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”—2 Kings 4:3-7

Elisha, through the power of God, helped the woman meet her present and future needs. He gave her hope and grace to thrive in life. We, too, have hope and grace through Jesus Christ (2 John 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 12:9). Elisha points us to Christ, who meets our every need. Believe that and we will always thrive.

What are some ways that hope in Christ and grace from Him helped you meet AND exceed your needs? As always, I would love you to post your comments on the blog.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Wise Up-The 29th Day of Christmas

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On the 29th day of Christmas my true love gave to me wisdom to help me daily (1 Kings 3).

He was a king with great splendor and wise above all. This was King Solomon, known for his wisdom, a gift from God, foreshadowing Jesus, the King of Kings, who the Scriptures say “became for us wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30). That’s a lot to take in, but here’s what I want you to remember. Solomon was the wisest man to live the earth and he was rich and powerful and famous, but none of these came from his might but from the power of God after Solomon asked for “an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad” (1 Kings 3:9). Solomon impressed God because he only asked for an understanding heart, not giving a thought to his personal comfort or mortality. He wanted to be able to serve well in the position God placed him in and knew that having an understanding heart was his key.

We have all been placed in a position where we should seek to serve God well and having an understanding heart gives us the wisdom that we need to serve well; wisdom and understanding go hand in hand. “Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). I have had so many strong black women tell me that God gave them intellect so they count on it to make all their decisions. I think intellect can be a bonus, not a substitute, to having wisdom from God. Intellect apart from God’s wisdom is foolish; that’s what God says. If we submit our gifts and talents, including intellect, to God, He can show us how to use those to make wise decisions. But it first takes seeking Jesus who is wisdom from God and lives in our heart (Ephesians 3:16). The power of God resides in us to make wise decisions regarding our homes, jobs, children, marriages, friends, finances, and future. We can ask God for an understanding heart and He will give us wisdom and whatever else we need or He wants to give so that He, not we, gets the glory.

What have been some hard decisions you were able to make with wisdom from God? What were some bad decisions you made purely based on your intellect? I would love to hear your comments on the blog.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Click here to learn more about this blog series, The 39 Days of Christmas.