Walk with Jesus with a lightly held to-do list.

Martha had a programmed faith as seen by the fact that she couldn’t sit still. She was so stressed over getting things done that her face was contorted in anger (‘distracted’).

Mary had a possessive faith that allowed to get what “needed to be done” and then sat at Jesus’ feet with a face of wonder and contentment.

Martha was so busy with her to-do lists of food preparation that when she couldn’t get it all done, wham, she confronted Jesus about it. “You don’t care about me!”

She verbally threw up all over Him because she was carrying around a list so long that she forgot why the food was even necessary in the first place, Jesus her guest.

Mary, on the other hand, was caught between two worlds and finally chose to possess her faith and sit. The phrase “left me to do the work” shows that Mary was struggling between the job of hosting with the purpose of hosting. She kept running back and forth between helping her sister and being with and listening to Jesus that she finally sat and just listened.

A programmed faith means there are things one must do in order to be with and please God. Yet, it forgets that Jesus already met the standard of what needed to be done to be brought into God’s presence in the first place.

A programmed faith creates its own to-do list of things to be done each day, which over time leads to frustration, just like it did for Martha until she made it Jesus’ fault. Programmed faith leaves you exhausted because there is always more to done or at least feels like God demands more.

A possessive faith is not about the list! It’s doing what He’s told you do while being with Him as you do whatever He’s told you to do. And guess what? He can add or subtract from that list and take you on all kinds of unexpected turns, like sitting at His feet.

Why? Because it’s not about the list, but the Creator of the List – Jesus. It’s about listening to and following Him to places and people that you never expected to go that bring a sense of excitement, not frustration and rejuvenation not exhaustion.

“The essence of surrender is getting out of God’s way so that He can do in us what He also wants to do through us.”

As Lamech held his firstborn in his arms, he named him Noah, which means quiet/rest. He also tells him that “out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one (Noah) shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands” (Gen. 5:29).

Little did he know that Noah would live up to that name! I won’t repeat Noah’s story, but the ark “rested” on Ararat. Coincidence?

Before Noah built the ark, however, he was the only who lived completely for the LORD while everyone else was inventing new ways to do just the opposite (Gen. 6:9). How did Noah stand up for and walk with God regardless of the fact that literally everyone else was against him? The power of belief.

His dad named him Noah. His dad gave him a purpose for living. And, his dad was around to encourage him when he might have gotten discouraged, “Hey son, believe what I told about your future. You have a purpose. God is going to use you in a mighty way. Keep walking with Him.” Noah did. The power of belief.

We are not living in the same days as Noah; yet, do we believe what our Father has told us? Through belief in Jesus, we have been given a new nature – Christ’s (2 Pet. 1:4), a new mind – Christ’s (1 Cor. 2:16), and Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21) to fulfill a new purpose for getting up each morning (Eph. 2:10).

We can think correctly. Do we believe it? We can choose correctly. Do we believe it? We can live meaningful lives that will make an eternal difference. Do we believe it?

Belief. It has the power to take us down like the generation of Noah’s day. Or, it has the power to raise us above the mountain tops like Noah.

How do you talk to yourself. I can because of who my Father made and sees me? Or, I’m such a (fill in the blank), so why keep going?

Belief. It can affect your thoughts, which affects your words, which affects your choices, which will then mold you into Christ’s eternal character.

That’s the power of belief.

Jesus’ birth brings meaning and purpose to us all.

We don’t know the actual day Jesus was born. The key truth, though, is that He was born. Born into a long family lineage from Adam to Abraham to David to Mary, who chose to believe the impossible could happen, and to Joseph, who adopted and raised Him as his own.

He was born to a set of parents who would face ridicule by family, friends and their community due to the circumstances of their pregnancy.

He placed Himself into the hands of Mary to care for Him at His most vulnerable time – conception, embryo, birth and infancy. She would have to take care of herself so He could grow and develop within her womb.

He placed Himself into the hands of Joseph to protect Mary from those would want to harm her on the way to Bethlehem, and from Herod, Satan’s dupe, who wanted Him dead. Yet, He was born as a human in a real town, Bethlehem, in a real country, Israel, just like the rest of us.

The circumstances surrounding His birth were not ideal by any stretch of the imagination. He knew these circumstances would stay with Him for the rest of His life and be thrown in His face by His brothers and Israel’s religious and governmental institutions.

He knew all this; and yet, He came. Jesus, as God, made the choice to become human at conception. Jesus, as a man, made the choice to love His Father with every step He took in order to fulfill the mission given by His Father – born, live, die, and rise again – to give all humanity hope.

Maybe the circumstances surrounding your birth or childhood were less than ideal. But you are here and loved by Someone who understands you and gives your life meaning and purpose with every step you take.

Jesus gets you. So, may you reflect on this truth this Christmas and show your love for and to Him by listening to and following Him a little more today than you did yesterday.  

Sometimes God changes your situation; but more often than not, He changes you in the midst of the situation.

Change means entering into the unknown, something we have not experienced before or someone we are not at the moment. At times, this process can be downright discouraging to the point of quitting.

What do we all need? Encouragement. Abraham is a prime example. Talk about moving into the unknown!

He was asked to leave a stable home in Ur of the Chaldees to become a nomad who move from place to place in a tent. He was asked to leave a highly sophisticated and advanced culture (the Chaldeans gave us the concept of 60 seconds, minutes) for the desert life.

He was asked to leave the only religion he’d ever known in order to listen to and follow only One God. He was asked to leave the comfort of being surrounded by family and friends, which he only partially did, to travel with only his wife to a place neither of them had been.

Who did the asking? God Himself, who appeared to and had a conversation with Abraham (Acts 7:2-3). He asked Abraham to leave his comfort zone to find something or should I say, someone who could give him what his prior life could never give – God Himself.

And throughout his journey, God kept encouraging Abraham to keep growing, even when it was tough. He knew the power of encouragement, which is why He commands us to be part of His encouragement team (Hebrews 3:13).

Especially in the culture in which we find ourselves, leaving known thoughts, feelings, pasts, beliefs, culture, family, jobs, etc. behind in order to discover the unknown of who God is and what He can do in and for you will not be easy. Therefore, we all need encouragement.

Who needs an encouraging text, call, card or face-to-face meeting? Encourage them today, as in now!

Who is encouraging you? Don’t let your pride get in the way. Let others know your business so they can encourage you today, as in now! The process of change isn’t going to get any easier until you do.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Proverbs 18:21

Words have tremendous power, especially our self-talk, the words we say to or call ourselves. I don’t have to give examples. You already know what I’m talking about. These words can be the difference between victory or defeat as we seek to become more like Jesus.

David, a shepherd, who was too young to be a soldier, faced a literal giant, Goliath, who was already a seasoned warrior. Yet, neither King Saul nor Goliath’s words could discourage David from stepping into a faith-based victory.

David had already faced his share of giants while shepherding his dad’s sheep. God was preparing him for tomorrow’s Goliath with today’s lions and bears (1 Sam. 17:34-35).

And, maybe the following is what David had learned from that preparation, “The LORD is my shepherd (I follow The Shepherd). Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (lions and bears), I will fear no evil (I run toward life’s challenges), for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (my sling in God’s hands will bring victory).”

Okay, maybe David didn’t quote the words he penned in Psalm 23. But his words in 1 Samuel 17:45-46, however, do reflect this same sentiment, “I come to you in the name of the LORD. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”

David’s truth-based words were about what God could do. The LORD was his shepherd. The LORD would defeat his challenges. And these words became reality when he faced Goliath. They were all about what His God could do, not him, his past or what others thought of him.

Truthful words are very powerful, especially as they roll off our lips or are rehearsed in our minds. Therefore, are your words the fruit of victory by focusing on what the Spirit can do or the fruit of defeat by focusing on your self-talk?

Choose your words carefully. Victory over your giants to become like Jesus depends on it.