Take Baby Steps

One of the memorable moments is when your child takes their first steps as a parent. Babies don’t come out of the womb walking. They need to learn. Those steps don’t come easily. The baby needs to learn to control their body by rolling over, then crawling, followed by pulling themselves up, and finally taking that first step. There is a spiritual principle to learn in that process. It is being faithful in the little things. Learn how to take baby steps.

‭‭LUKE‬ ‭16:10

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.”

Jesus lays out one of the essential principles humans need to learn. The principle of “Baby Steps” is vital to spiritual growth and maturity. You have to start small and learn to be faithful with what you have before being trusted with more. If you are impatient with what you have and are expecting more, ask yourself if you are faithful to what you have right now? Getting ahead of yourself will only lead to failure. Ask God what lessons you need to learn to move to the next step.

Become Complete

If your email inbox or social media feed is like mine, it is full of advertisements with programs for you to become the new you. Whether it’s for a revolutionary diet or for a workout program that will make you look twenty years younger, all of them promise more than they can deliver. Today’s passage challenges you to become complete in your faith. This is something that you can accomplish.

‭‭2 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭13:11‬

“Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

The Apostle Paul writes his farewell to the Corinthians. He encourages them to become complete, be comforted, and like-minded. The church in Corinth had a problem with spiritual maturity and unity. Paul wants them to work on these areas, but what does it mean to “become complete?” It’s not becoming perfect but growing in your knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Corinthians thought they were experts in a few areas, but they lacked in many of the vital ones.

Light Up Your World

There are few things more painful than stepping on one of your kid’s blocks in your bare feet in the dark. I’m exaggerating, but at that moment, the surprise pain as you grope around for the light is brutal. Turning on a light before you entered the room would’ve reduced the risk. Jesus came as a light to a dark world, and He calls you to light up your world.

Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

In John 8:12, Jesus tells His listeners that He is the light of the world. The Apostle John tells us in John 1:4 in Him is life, and that life is the light in us. So you are to shine that light to the whole world. Don’t hide it under a bushel but be like a city on a hill whose light is seen from afar. You should light up your world with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Follow the Light

There are some drawbacks to conserving energy. Some light switches have sensors that shut off lights if they don’t detect motion. This can leave you in a pitch dark room. If you are not careful, you could stumble and hurt yourself. You need to follow the light to get out. Two thousand years ago, some wise men followed the light to Jesus.

Matt 2:9-11

After listening to the King, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

We don’t know much about these wise men. Even their name is misleading. They were called Magi, where we get our word magician, but they weren’t sorcerers. They were probably what we would call professors, experts in areas like math and science. Legend has it that Daniel initially trained them, and that’s how they knew to look for the signs the King of the Jews had been born. What we do know is that they traveled a long distance to follow the light.

A Glimpse of Heaven

Sometimes, you are hiking in one of the national parks in the United States, where everything fades into the background, and the beauty of your surroundings encompasses you. That’s how I felt when I was in Glacier National Park. Its stunning beauty takes your breath away. That is one of the images I get when I try to picture what the shepherds in the field experienced when the Heavenly host appears. They got a glimpse of heaven.

Luke 2:8-11

And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

You’re Having a Son

It was nineteen years ago this week where my wife told me she was pregnant. It was one of the most thrilling moments of my life. No one told us that our son would be autistic and all of the struggles associated that come with that. It wouldn’t have changed anything. Mary was visited by an angel who told her, “You’re having a son.”

Luke 1:29-32

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High

The encounter between Gabriel and Mary has many implications. Not only does Gabriel tell Mary that she is going to have a baby boy, but he tells her what to name her and how his life will turn out. Thoughts must’ve flooded Mary’s mind as she contemplated being the mother of the Messiah. It would be too much for anyone to take in, but she didn’t overreact but pondered it in her heart. Her son would be great and called “Son of the Most High.”

A Light to the Nations

What does your country do for Christmas? Does it have some celebrations or traditions that are specific to your culture? I would love to hear some of them down in the comments. For our family, Christmas lights are a big tradition. We decorate our house and love to make hot chocolate and hop in the car and go and look at how other people have decorated theirs. Since the kids were little, we have done it, and they still love it as teenagers. Did you know that lights on Christmas are a tradition born in Scripture? Jesus was called to be a light to the nations.

Isaiah 42:6

“I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,

The prophet Isaiah foretold the coming Servant who is given as a gift. He would be a light to the nations in a dark world. Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” Jesus is the light of the world, and those who believe in Him will never walk in darkness. (John 8:12) Jesus is a gift of light to us in this dark world. In that light is the life that we desperately need.

Finding God in Your Weakness

There is the story of a boy with cerebral palsy who went to his church’s summer camp. He struggled through most of the events and even had difficulty speaking where the other boys could understand. At the end of the camp, the pastor asked if any boys wanted to give a testimony. The boy got up from his seat and struggled to get to the front of the room. Some of the other boys were giggling and pointing. When he got there said in his slurred speech, “I love Jesus, and he loves me.” There wasn’t a sound in the room as he walked back to his seat. Finding God in your weakness is one of the most important lessons you can learn.

‭‭2 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭11:30‬

“If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.”

The Corinthians goaded Paul into boasting about his accomplishments. It pained Paul beyond imagination to do it, but he relented. He knew his resume was more impressive than anyone the Corinthians could put up, so it was fruitless to even talk about it. After he is done, he tells them that if he has to boast, it will be how God worked through his weaknesses. He was not too proud to admit his faults.

God Is My Portion

In Charles Dicken’s classic, “A Christmas Carol,” Ebenezer Scrooge demands that his worker, Bob Cratchit, works on Christmas Eve. Scrooge barely pays Cratchit enough to feed his family and doesn’t give him anything for Christmas. Through it all, Cratchit, who has a young son who is not well, thanks the Lord for providing for them and chooses to remain with Scrooge even when everyone tells him to quit. Bob Cratchit knew that God is my portion forever, even when times got tough.

‭‭PSALMS‬ ‭73:26‬

“My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

All of us have days where it feels like our heart is going to fail. There are numerous causes for those feelings, but the feeling is the same. David had those days when Saul was chasing him and when Absalom was usurping his power. Anything that David tried to do in his flesh failed him. At those low moments, God showed David that He was everything David needed.

Are You Properly Armed

There is a lot of debate about firearms in the United States. With multiple mass shootings each year, many are crying out for the abolition of guns, while others say they have the right to defend themselves. As a Christian, you don’t fight with manufactured weapons because the war you are in is spiritual. Are you properly armed to fight this battle?

‭‭2 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭10:3-4

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”

We exist in the middle of a spiritual battle. Most Christians are unaware, and others deny its existence. Do so at your own expense. God is using you to reflect the light of Jesus into a dark world, and Satan is doing everything he can to stop it. If you walk out your front door each morning unaware or ill-prepared, you will be blindsided by the constant attacks of the enemy. You need to properly arm yourself with the right battle gear and weapons to fight this war.