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The Truth Of The Matter is- Episode: 183 Christmas Special (Luke 2:19)
24 Plays7 days ago
Merry Christmas. If you are traveling, be safe. If you are going to see family and friends make sure you tell them that you appreciate them. In This episode I decided to unpack Luke 2:19. If you are on the road, taking the train, getting on a plane this is for you! Any time I was traveling for the holidays I always wanted to have content to listen to but guess what? Everyone was busy and took off, so I wanted to do something different and provide something because I used to be in your shoes. I hope that this blesses you as much as it has blessed me when I thought about it and want to record it for you to hear. God bless and once again Merry Christmas.
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Transcript
Introduction and Gratitude
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to a Christmas edition of the truth of the matters podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan, and this is episode one 83. Let's begin by recognizing and appreciating all of our new and consistent listeners.
00:00:24
Speaker
Of course, we thank you all in advance for continuing to press play at your own convenience. I
00:00:50
Speaker
You know, I want to give a second round of applause, right?
Family and the Reason for the Season
00:00:54
Speaker
If you are traveling, please be safe. If you are visiting family or friends, please appreciate them. And of course, the most important thing, remember the reason for the season, right? It shouldn't be more about the many gifts that will be handed out today across this nation right instead again it needs to be about the greatest
00:01:58
Speaker
as I say this prayer slowly.
A Personal Prayer for Renewal
00:02:01
Speaker
Father God it has come to my attention.
00:02:06
Speaker
that the way I have been living my life, something is missing. I believe I have come to recognize what it is.
00:02:20
Speaker
It's a life that does not have you currently in it. Today is a day I believe that changes. Day after day, I must admit,
00:02:36
Speaker
It's been a struggle to find what my purpose is. What I have realized during this time is that I'm a sinner who is in need of saving. Jesus Christ please come save me. Jesus Christ please redeem me. Jesus Christ please set me free. Jesus Christ make me over again.
00:03:06
Speaker
Jesus Christ, forgive me of my sins. Jesus Christ, renew me afresh. Jesus Christ, I believe in you. Jesus Christ, I believe you are God in the flesh. Jesus Christ, I believe you took on the sins of the world. Jesus Christ, I believe you were resurrected.
00:03:32
Speaker
Jesus Christ, I believe you live in the hearts of the believers who place their faith in you. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, you are welcome to set up camp inside of me. Because I believe in you with all my heart, mind and soul, use me as you see fit.
00:04:02
Speaker
ambassador representative example you name it in Jesus name I pray amen and amen and amen if you have said that prayer I believe you were born again And I encourage you to find a good home-based church. right You're going to need mentorship. You're going to need accountability. And the truth of the matter is this podcast is just one of the many biblical outlets that exists to encourage you to read the word of God.
00:04:40
Speaker
So do so daily and please do so intentionally. So here's the important question that I always ask.
An Orchestrated Encounter
00:04:48
Speaker
How has the Lord blessed me this past week? And while I believe, you know, I had a divine meeting actually on Christmas Eve. So let me explain. I worked today and my boss received the call. That call happened to be at his desk. I happen to be.
00:05:10
Speaker
in the office of my boss, right? He wasn't there at his desk. So I picked the phone up and HR pretty much wanted to inform Now, truth be told, I already had my meal on my desk and that had plenty of fruit in it. So what begged the question is why would I want to go upstairs and get any fruit?
00:05:41
Speaker
Right? That's the question that I asked myself. I think that's a fair question. But anyway, HR said I should relay the message to my boss, which is is exactly what I did. And just out of curiosity, you know, I made my way up the stairs. And once I reached the top of the stairs, I was drawn to this beautiful Granny Smith apple.
00:06:09
Speaker
I take it back with me, I make my way back to my office, and I just put the apple in my bag. After the work, I had to Brooklyn Heights to get some Chinese food. I parked my car somewhere in Brooklyn, specifically in Nostrand Avenue, right? That's where I parked my car on Nostrand Avenue. And I got on the train. Now, I don't believe in coincidences.
00:06:35
Speaker
Right? I believe things happen for a specific reason, whether it was something that I need to see, something that I need to be aware of. I think if you're paying close attention to things, I believe there was a purpose for me being there.
Divine Timing and Gifted Talents
00:06:51
Speaker
And I say this because once I got on the age ring, a gentleman was asking for food, right? And I thought it was interesting that the gentleman asked for something specific. that's something wast That an apple. Instantly, it was at that moment that I believe God intended for us to meet. In fact, that is my opinion of what a divine meeting is, right? I believe this is why I ended up grabbing the apple.
00:07:26
Speaker
Right. I believe this is one of the reasons why I intentionally took the call. I think there were too many things leading up to this that had to happen perfectly. Right. I didn't know why I grabbed the Granny Smith apple. I just knew that it was a pull into the eye and definitely.
00:07:48
Speaker
good for eating. But the timing had to be perfect, right? The truth of the matter is I believe God orders our steps perfectly. And man, I tell you, God is amazing. It's really for me, the intricate details that make you realize that there is no other explanation other than the fact that God is pulling the strings. And therefore I don't believe in luck, nor coincidences.
00:08:18
Speaker
The second way I was blessed this week was through just a genuine conversation that I had. And in that conversation, I was reminded that God has given us gifts, talents, and abilities, and how God decides to use us. Whether that's in a large capacity or a small setting, I believe we need to be thankful and appreciative of those moments, harness those moments, do the best that we can in those moments, and leave everything out there.
00:08:48
Speaker
Right. He has his reasons behind what he has us doing. And I say, trust in the reasoning, enjoy the process and let the Lord do his thing, especially in
Daily Reflection on Blessings
00:09:00
Speaker
your life. Amen. So of course, as a reminder, the reason why I always begin this podcast, what reflection is because I believe that God is continuously blessing us each and every week. Whether that's by the second, by the minute, by the hour, by the day.
00:09:17
Speaker
by the week, by the month, by the year. I honestly believe that God can bless the believer as well as the unbeliever. I believe that God deserves all the glory, the honor, the praise. And if you sit back and observe, you will see how God is moving and operating on your behalf.
00:09:39
Speaker
Of course, what we don't do enough is reflect. So I say reflect daily and then you will notice the presence of God in your life daily. Of course, it requires you to pay close attention to the details of your life. So if you begin reflecting, you will start to easily notice that God is for one blessing you and that God is for two looking out for you. So I say, give it a try and see how His grace and mercy is occurring over your life in the little things, man. And with that being said, this leads us right into prayer. So let's pray. Heavenly Father in Jesus name, I thank you for another day, for another opportunity to make a difference in my own life as well as someone else's life. I pray for safety and protection for us travelers on this day. I thank you for your son, Jesus Christ. He truly deserves all the glory, honor and praise.
00:10:38
Speaker
As we open up your word today, open up our the curiosity of all listeners to be students of your word, regardless of the age and experience that's attached to that person. Humble us, O God, to be humbly and honestly with surety. In Jesus name we pray.
00:11:08
Speaker
Amen. So if you had listened to episode 182, I encourage you to do so. And if you haven't, well, I would say, what are you waiting for?
Insights from the Gospel of Luke
00:11:18
Speaker
But there was a statement that I made in episode 182, and it's connected to the idea of the fact that I've been in the gospel of Luke for the last couple of weeks and for this particular conversation as it surrounds the birth of Jesus Christ. I wanted to take a look at the Gospel of Luke chapter 2 verse 19 and I want to look at the verses before and after it because I think it plays a significant role in understanding specifically verse 19.
00:11:52
Speaker
And I wanted to just give you some talking points as well as some explanations and thoughts that I had centered around this verse. And with that being said, let's get right to it. Of course, I'm going to be reading this out of the NLT today. That's just the verse that I chose or the translation rather than I'm deciding to use. And I hope that what I have to say today is a blessing to you as always.
00:12:17
Speaker
Okay. So the verse reads, of course, again, this is the gospel of Luke chapter two, verse 19. It says, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. Again, this is Luke chapter two, verse 19, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. So the first question that came to mind was what were these things?
00:12:47
Speaker
What were these things that Mary kept in her heart? What were these things that she thought about often? And for context, we have to look at
Joy vs Happiness
00:12:59
Speaker
a couple of verses. So let's start at verse 17.
00:13:04
Speaker
This is Luke chapter 2 verse 17. It says, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. So what did the angel say? Gotta go back to verse 10. Let's go to verse 10. So it's Luke chapter 2 verse 10. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all People again, it says I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people great joy to all people And I mean that's amazing
00:13:44
Speaker
news, right? The verse indicates that the news won't just benefit one group of people. How about all people? The word he used here is joy. Remember, there's a huge difference between joy and happiness. Joy profoundly addresses the need for longevity, right? Joy is a long lasting state of being. Joy speaks to being You know, content, satisfied, where a happiness is an emotion that is sparked by moments or events that brings a sense of excitement, but I would suggest only for a short period of time.
00:14:29
Speaker
So the word joy in this context speaks to a long lasting effect moving forward as opposed to something temporarily, which is what has the happiness brings, right?
Humble Beginnings of Jesus
00:14:43
Speaker
Again,
00:14:45
Speaker
So the word joy in this context speaks to a long lasting effect moving forward as opposed to something temporarily, which is what happiness is. You follow me? Okay, good. Let's go to verse 12. So we just finished unpacking verse 10 with me specifying the difference between joy and happiness. Let's go to verse 12 of Luke chapter two.
00:15:13
Speaker
And it says, and you will recognize him by this sign. You will find a boy wrapped snugly in stripes of cloth lying in a major. Verse 12 is beautiful because what we see here is that our Lord is being present in a context that isn't lavished.
00:15:35
Speaker
in wealth. Instead, he was laid down in a major because the story is told that there was no place for Joseph and Mary to stay inside at that particular or what we would call in a modern day hotel. In fact, there's a book that I read that speaks about how long they walked the journey that they had on foot, right? There was no cars back then. So Mary, pregnant at all, is walking quite a bit with Joseph as they looked for a place to stay. What was ideal for Mary and Joseph?
00:16:19
Speaker
wasn't what they anticipated and therefore they had to make it work. Okay. Now, let's go to verse 13 and verse 14. Okay. Verse 13 says suddenly, the angel was joined by vast host of others, the armies of heaven, praising God and saying, verse 14, glory to God in the highest heaven.
00:16:47
Speaker
place on earth to those with whom God is pleased. These verses just speak to the significance of who this child was and will be moving forward. If you look at verse 14, I think it's interesting that there's a mention of the highest heaven. So is it possible that there are different levels to heaven? I believe there is in another text, but we won't go there.
Mary's Role and Reflections
00:17:15
Speaker
Another thing that's mentioned is that verse 13 speaks of a vast amount of angels. That vast amount of angels speaks to armies of angels in heaven.
00:17:31
Speaker
that all praised god so obviously this couldn't have been a normal child in fact when you think about it what does that image look like can you imagine an army of angels singing and these shepherds heard these things right we knew that they at first were terrified And the angel had to say, hey, relax. it's not It's not what you think it is. You're not in jeopardy. Your life is not in jeopardy. They had something to share. So this is mind-boggling when you think about it, right? Now, when we get to verse 18, it says, all who heard the shepherd's story were astonished. Astonished. Because can you imagine being told a story like this? It's probably shocking.
00:18:25
Speaker
You're probably in awe, right? When we get to verse 19, which is the verse that I want to talk about, what we get is that Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. and So why?
00:18:44
Speaker
did this verse stand out to me? Well, for starters, understand that Mary at the time was it between the ages of 12 to 14 years old, and that's based on historical facts, okay? We can also
Joseph's Righteous Decision
00:18:58
Speaker
say that she's not even fully developed teenager yet, right? She's being made aware of who Jesus is, this child, and being told that this information could be extremely overwhelming, right? At first, you also have to remember the situation with Joseph in the gospel of Matthew, right? Her soon to be husband at one point, right? So let's go there again for context because I'm trying to shape your perspective and understanding of why Luke chapter two verse 19 is so important and what are the lasting effects or situations that are surrounding
00:19:41
Speaker
at least that particular verse. So if we go to the gospel of Matthew chapter one, and we just look at verses 18 through 25, of course in the NLT it says, this is how Jesus, the Messiah was born. His mother Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
00:20:09
Speaker
Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of David, the angel said, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and she will have a son and you are to name him Jesus for he will save his people from their sins all of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet look the virgin will conceive a child she will give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel which means God is with us when Joseph woke up
00:21:06
Speaker
He did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not sexually, he did not have, but he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born in Joseph's name of Jesus. So realize this from a humanistic standpoint.
00:21:29
Speaker
Joseph was considered a righteous man. right To be considered a righteous man, you would have to be in somewhat good standing with God. ki And so when Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant,
00:21:45
Speaker
He's probably in disbelief, especially if he didn't have sex with her, right? She was a virgin. So he's probably thinking if she's pregnant, it that pregnancy is due to her stepping out of the engagement. So like Joseph at the time was between the ages of 16 to 18, okay? So he wasn't trying to marry her after this news.
00:22:12
Speaker
that he found out that she was pregnant. And how could she explain it, right? To tell you what kind of stand-up guy Joseph really was, he actually wanted to divorce her quietly because he did not want to disgrace her probably so publicly. So you have to also look from the standpoint that he had integrity and he also had class and character.
00:22:37
Speaker
right so regardless of the situation that he was unaware of he was willing to do something about it and do it quietly as opposed to publicly right Joseph did not want to make a scene at all okay now of course he listens to the angel but to show you how cautious he was right? He waited to see if the child would be born, right? Verse 25 says, but he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And then that's when we find out that Joseph named him Jesus. So the question is, was he honoring her during her pregnancy? Or was he still in disbelief? Was he still in disbelief of the fact that she was carrying
00:23:29
Speaker
the son of god we don't know honestly don't blame him for being careful because i believe in real time this was a lot to process for him okay i tell you about this part also because you know when we go back to her i'm sure and her as a mary i'm sure from an emotional standpoint this was a lot to shoulder Right?
Mary's Faith and Zechariah's Doubt
00:23:58
Speaker
This was a lot to handle. This could have been terrifying. And so when I read verse 19, and it says, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often, I believe that the astonishing aspect to this is her humbleness.
00:24:17
Speaker
I did a message a few years ago called God is more than able and in that it features the response of Mary and Zachariah when they both were approached by an angel. right Zachariah responded with a no faith response while Mary actually did. Difference in age, completely different thing if I'm not mistaken. Zachariah actually was a priest.
00:24:42
Speaker
He actually was doing his priestly duties when he was approached by an angel. So just for context, again, let's go to the gospel of Luke chapter one, and let's look at verses 18 through 20. Let's address Zechariah's story. Verse 18 reads, Zechariah asked the angel, how can I be sure of this?
00:25:05
Speaker
I am an old man and my wife is well along in years. The angel said to him, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God and I have been sent to speak to you, to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not be able to speak until the day this happens because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.
00:25:32
Speaker
Now let's look at Mary's response. Same chapter, different verse, 34-35. How will this happen? Or how will this be? Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin. The angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. You, so the Holy Spirit, the one to be born will be called the Son of God.
00:25:59
Speaker
Again, the Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. One person answered, how is it going to happen?
00:26:19
Speaker
while the other person questioned, is it actually going to happen? Can I be sure of that? See the difference? So I believe Mary was very mature for her age. Verse 19 said, Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
Focus on the Heart's Intentions
00:26:37
Speaker
What do we know about the heart? Well, we know that God looks at the heart, right? God looks at the heart. We know 1 Samuel chapter 16 verse 7, it says, but the Lord said to Samuel, do not look on his appearances.
00:26:57
Speaker
or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. So based that based upon that, that's a distinction between how God looks at people and how we do. We're concerned with physical appearance. God is concerned with the heart of the individual.
00:27:25
Speaker
The Lord sees what motivates you and inspires you to act. Check this out. Let's go to gospel of Matthew chapter 12 verses 34 through 37. This is speaking of the heart. And it says, you broad of Vipers.
00:27:43
Speaker
How can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of him.
00:28:03
Speaker
what is stored up in him. But I tell you that every everyone will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. Verse 37 says, for by your words, you will be acquitted. And by your words, you will be condemned. What you say usually comes from what is stored in your heart.
00:28:31
Speaker
when it comes to the manners that arrive and that are presented before you. Okay, lastly, let's look at the let's look at Proverbs chapter
Mary's Societal Challenges
00:28:41
Speaker
four verse 23 in the NLT it says guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life.
00:28:52
Speaker
guard your heart above all else for determines the course of your life." So verse 19 says once again that Mary took in the positive and prophetic things said about her son Jesus Christ from the shepherds and kept them in her heart and thought about them not sometimes but often.
00:29:17
Speaker
I believe this kept her going, right? The text doesn't talk about the peer pressure that she might've had to face. The text doesn't talk about the possible gossip that occurred because she was carrying a child. And at first Joseph wasn't on board. So did that make his way throughout the area? We don't know.
00:29:41
Speaker
You also have to know realistically that we live in a world where rumors exist. You don't think they dealt with that during that time, right? The test gives us a general aspect of what happened. But don't think for a second that none of this didn't happen. Come on, people, right? Open your eyes. I believe it did. And it's our job to read between the lines and know that people are just as mean as they were then and as they are today. The practice of assassination of a person's character has always existed. Insults and low-character people exist, man. Understand any successful organization, football team, basketball team, program,
00:30:32
Speaker
It looks good on the surface. That's what they want you to see. But behind the scenes, there's a lot of things going on. Same thing in the kitchen. It looks amazing when a food comes out, and it smells good, and it's appetizing, and it's well laid out. But there's tribulance.
00:30:49
Speaker
There's challenges, there's ups and downs. There are things that are going on in the kitchen that never make its way to the front. And it's not going to make its way to the front. Why? Because what happens in a particular area might stay there. But just speaking in reference to what Mary could have been dealing with, the scriptures are not going to put that all in there, right?
00:31:13
Speaker
I think those are minor details to the major point of the story, but if you read anything, you should know that a lot of stuff goes on, right? We talk about the passing of the Christ. They gave us a glimpse of how hard it was for Jesus to fulfill the mission of being crucified. We know the story of crucifixion, but the details, the brutality, the harshness,
00:31:42
Speaker
The struggle, the agony, the pain, that's not mentioned. And it's not mentioned because the willpower it took to go through all of that, when you really sit back and think about it and you really examine those things, it scares us. We're operating fear based on those things. Why? Because some of us feel like the task is too hard.
00:32:09
Speaker
In a lot of cases, because of the hardships of what it takes to be successful or to get to the next level, it's a lot. In football, we talk about the blood, the sweat, the tears, right? The time that it takes for you to be successful. It's a lot of work. And man, when you are rewarded, it is a feeling like no other. So realize that There's always an underlying story behind the scenes that doesn't get spoken about. But we have to make sure that we're paying attention to those things. I believe God chose Mary and believes she can
Raising Jesus - Mary's Unique Role
00:32:48
Speaker
handle it. And guess what she did? She carried the son of the living God. Can you imagine as a mother raising the son of the living God? What pleasure and what pressure, right? Let's take it a step further. What mother
00:33:04
Speaker
who is born a child, doesn't want that child to be great, to be successful, to make a name for themselves, to carry that last name with pride. Who doesn't want that? I believe the mother wants that child to be all that they can be. So we're imagining how a mother feels about hoping that child is going to be that.
00:33:32
Speaker
How about the experience of being told that your child is going to actually be that? Like they're going to be great, right? There's no hoping we're telling you that your child is going to shape the world. He's going to change the trajectory of what it means to be a pillar, right? How about being told that?
00:34:01
Speaker
Right? That's... mind-boggling. You're not hoping here. You're being told that they're gonna be great.
Negativity vs Divine Guidance
00:34:09
Speaker
Right? Oh yeah, and by the way, he's gonna bring joy to all people as well. Right?
00:34:17
Speaker
That's mind blowing, right? The text said that he's going to adjust the sins of many of his own people, right? Here's another takeaway, right? David said in Psalms 1, 1911, I hide that word in my heart that I might not sin against him.
00:34:39
Speaker
The key word to hear is might, which doesn't bring about any guarantees. That falls on the individual and their willpower and their desire to turn away from certain actions and choices, right? In Matthew 2.19, Mary decided to keep the words that were shared with her. And I was spoken to her as encouragement to keep her going. It says she thought about them often.
00:35:08
Speaker
And this action, you know, in the Word should motivate us to do the same thing. I love the passage in Luke 11, 28, it said, bless and highly favored of those who hear my words and continually observe it. I mean, what else will Paul write in Romans 15, 4?
00:35:28
Speaker
that for everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through the endurance taught in the scriptures and the encouragement they provided we might have hope amen amen amen i mean come on man what a verse this thing these things were written for our instruction that through encouragement of the scriptures, you will have something to read over and over and over again for inspiration, for motivation, for guidance, for direction, for comfort, for hope, right? Now here is something that I think deserves to be talked about. And that's how people in the world respond.
00:36:16
Speaker
and act selfishly and separately from God.
00:36:22
Speaker
And this is what people of the world will do. How many of you ever heard or watched the movie Invincible, right? The story is about a man trying out for the Philadelphia Eagles as a special team player. He's going through some hardships, his wife divorced him, and he says something, you know, it was something that was said about him that was demeaning from his wife and not ex-wife at the time.
00:36:48
Speaker
is one of the most important quotes of the movie. It's actually a negative quote. And if you think about it, if you type in negative quotes in Google, it's not necessarily a negative quote that comes up. It's a quote that's supposed to emphasize something positive. So I had a hard time finding just multiple examples. So I'm just gonna take this example that I found because I think it's profound and it makes sense here. The quote in the movie says, you will never amount out to anything.
00:37:17
Speaker
Never make a name for yourself. Never make any money. It says you would never amount out to anything. Never make a name for yourself. Never make any money. Guess what the main character does? He has this quote. He reads this quote before every single practice and before every single game. And that motivated him to make the team and to make a name for himself. That actually changed his trajectory.
00:37:48
Speaker
It's a true story, by the way. Now here's my question. Once you make it to the top, what's gonna keep you going? What's gonna keep you there? What's your anchor?
00:38:01
Speaker
I don't believe that's the only thing that you should have. In fact, people thrive off of negative things, right? They thrive off. Have you ever heard of David Goggins? He's an individual that thrived off of how he used to live his life. He made tons and tons of money. He wrote books. He was a Navy SEAL. He was in the army. He's done quite a bit of things off of negativity.
00:38:29
Speaker
of his own life. And he took that negativity, he bobbled it up and it motivated and encouraged him to be the person he is today. Right? Unfortunately, as believers, that's not what we want to do. That's not what we want our source to be. We don't want to focus on what the devil has people saying about us. What fuels us shouldn't be negative. In fact,
00:38:58
Speaker
It has its moments and so does a lot of things, but it's not designed to sustain us. Hope you're hearing me here. And I think that this is important to remember because In some cases, people would rather feel, or for lack of a better term, get hooked on something negative because they wanted to inform you that they did it, that they overcame it, that they got no help, that they had the willpower inside of them to do it. And a lot of that you'll find is an absence and is a reckon recognition and is an acknowledgement of God. And that's the problem. That's the issue. That's something.
00:39:43
Speaker
That's very dangerous as a motivational tool. It's just not true. We all need help. We all need a savior. We all need guidance. And there are some people who believe they can save themselves, that their power is within them somehow, in some way.
Inspirations from Scripture
00:40:02
Speaker
That's furthest from the truth.
00:40:04
Speaker
So I wanted to make sure that we take the time to understand Mary's situation and circumstance, that what transpired in order for Jesus to enter the world. It took the willpower and guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit within Mary to help her carry it to her completion. And it was through the inspiration of what was said about Jesus that gave her the confidence and everything that was needed, right? Philippians 4.13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We don't get that verse until later on because Paul writes it. But what we do know is that there was some form of inspiration. If we go all the way down to the bottom of Luke chapter two, there's actually a song that Mary has. I'm not going to go into all that even though it's profound. And it just speaks to
00:40:57
Speaker
the conscience or the mindset that Mary had during this time, right? These are, this is something very, very powerful that can't be overlooked as it pertains to what got her through, right? These, you know, this sort of thing, the scriptures, man, has a way of putting things in proper perspective.
Processing Life Events
00:41:22
Speaker
and there's so many things we can learn from this stuff right so many things that we shouldn't overlook it we shouldn't overlook it we should take it all in and one thing that you could also consider in reading that that text right loop 219 is that One of the reasons why she had nothing to say is maybe she needed to process it all. And sometimes processing it is just not saying anything, right? you You want to take the time to appreciate what is said to you and not rush into conclusions right away.
00:42:09
Speaker
right Don't be so quick to speak. Process it, really process it, really take your mind through it. And I think when you do that, I think a lot of amazing things happens. And it's a lot of amazing things that's happening because you you're really taking the time to really internalize what those things mean.
00:42:45
Speaker
but you know Productivity is not always being so anxious of a response.
Focus on Positive Thoughts
00:43:04
Speaker
that is rushed and you can always recognize
00:43:34
Speaker
that is being there for family, whether that is making a difference with family. And I want to make sure that everyone that's listening is appreciated and loved. So with that being said, we're gonna jump right into go to Philippians chapter four, we look at verses eight through nine, it says, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praise, what do you think about such things?
00:44:13
Speaker
Think about such things. God called or caused us to come out from among them and be separate. And so my encouragement to you on this Christmas day is to be thankful for our what Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
00:44:49
Speaker
Heavenly Father in Jesus name I thank you for my individual
00:45:38
Speaker
God bless and I will talk to you next time. Have a good one and Merry Christmas.