Do you ponder?

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Every year as I read the Christmas story narrated in Luke 2, I usually end up on verse 19 describing Mary treasuring these things and pondering them in her heart.


19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

I imagine Mary holding the newly swaddled Baby Jesus snuggled close to her as she contemplates the magnitude of Who she holds in her arms. Of course she is aware that she is holding the KING OF KINGS, a baby who will grow up and save the world; a tiny innocent infant who will carry that innocence His entire life. I wonder if she is questioning God as to why she, a lowly and poor woman from Nazareth, would raise Jesus, the Bread of Life? But, I am sure she takes the responsibility with upmost importance while she ponders the days, months and years ahead for sure to be filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, and GLORY beyond all comprehension.

We also have this grand responsibility when we know Jesus as our Savior, allow the Holy Spirit to guide, and worship our Father daily. By treasuring this up in our heart, let us not hide it deep within, either. This gift we have received in the form of a beautiful baby boy, Jesus, should be shared with everyone only after we truly ponder His magnificence and power. Then, when we grasp the enormity of WHO we Know intimately, let the world around you encounter Him, too! Treasuring and pondering are the forerunners of our proclaiming, worshiping and serving this Emmanuel, God with US. Take time to treasure and ponder your personal relationship with Him. Evaluate where you stand in your daily worship and service. But, don’t stop there. When we have a thriving relationship with Christ, our heart should burst with the knowledge of WHO we know as we can not help put proclaim His glory.

Happy New Year!

Go Tell it On The Mountain

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I would love for you to take a look at Luke 2:8-20…

It is so easy to gloss over the old, familiar passages in the Bible about the birth of Christ. Didn’t we learn all about the angels and the Shepherds during Nativity performances when we were younger?? Though you probably are very familiar with the story of the Shepherd’s encounter with the angels that one starry night in Bethlehem, take sometime to put yourself in their sandals and carry the Shepherd’s rod while you imagine what it would be like that one fateful night so long ago.

Take a few moments to imagine.

Feel the cool darkness of the night as you are tending the sheep just as you had the previous nights….

What are you talking about with your fellow Shepherds? Same old stuff, just a different night…

Are you weary of the job of being a “lowly Shepherd?”

Then, as the night sky blinds you with the glory of the Angels, how fast does your heart begin to beat? Maybe you fall to the ground in wonder…

Do you join in with the Angels singing, “Glory to God in the Highest…!”

Now…how quickly can you run back to Bethlehem to share the Good News? Are you even running or does it feel like your feet aren’t even touching the ground…?

~This kind of thing doesn’t always happen these days. How often do we experience angels singing and bright shining stars? However, you and I are now the bright shining stars who share the good news around the world about the birth of our Savior, Jesus. Just like the Shepherds did that first Noel, go…hurry…quickly… and enthusiastically tell others about your encounter with your LORD!

Luke 2:20 (ESV)
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told to them.