Advent: Preparing for Christ’s Birth-2
By: Roger Himes Esq.
Tags: Jesus, Christmas, Advent, Christmas Gifts, God

Advent: Preparing for Christ’s Birth-2

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Our heart is how God reaches us. God looks at our hearts (I Sam 16:7). The Parable of the Sower speaks of four hearts: (1) hard, (2) stony, (3) busy, and (4) good hearts. Only the good hearts receive from God as they should because they are tuned-in to him and his truth and his ways.

In the last post, we saw Joseph and Mary had good hearts. Zechariah’s heart was more focused in other directions and he wasn’t as receptive to God as he should have been, especially being a Priest of God and a temple leader.

He didn’t even trust God’s angel. Hebrews says we all could have angels influencing us, interacting with us. I like knowing angels even preach the gospel to some folks if we will just look up and listen (Rev 14:6).

Images of Bing free to use and share: https://tinyurl.com/ybkft436

Who Do We Listen To?

We all have other people influencing us and the way we think and believe. But ultimately, we are meant to trust our hearts and to turn to God and say, “Reveal to me, Lord.” Some people don’t trust their hearts because Jeremiah 17:9 says our hearts are deceitful, wicked, and can’t be trusted.

But in the New Testament, we’re told our hearts are good and reliable if they receive the gospel of grace and trust God (Heb 13:9). Mary’s response to the angel was in faith in God, not in the darkness of the Old Covenant, even though the New Covenant had not been introduced by Jesus yet.

The Pharisee Nicodemus, another top religious leader, struggled the same way Zechariah did. (John 3). He was seeking to know more about God and to be closer to him. He couldn’t understand when Jesus spoke to him about being born again. He only had a human, religious mind trying to figure out how he could enter into his mother’s womb again. Humous, right?

All religion is about mankind doing whatever is necessary to experience closeness with God. The GOSPEL is unique to all other religions because it gives us ONENESS with God (what is also called ‘atonement’). Nicodemus and Zechariah were more self-righteous, instead of simply receiving the free gift of God and his righteousness (Rom 5:17, 10:2). The two most popular times to connect with God are Christmas and Easter.

The World We See and Live in is Consuming

The world is such a visible, physical place, and we are so consumed by it. It’s often hard for us to detach from the world to attach to God and his word. The world constantly dulls us, producing hearing defects to God’s word.

Thus, three times in Hebrews 3 and 4 it says, “Today if you WILL hear (God’s) voice . . .” Hearing from God is a choice we have to make. It doesn’t come naturally. And it comes very slowly, and God is very soft-spoken. Plus, he speaks to our hearts, not the ears on the side of our heads. Thus, we have to have a good, receptive, patient heart as I showed beginning this.

God’s Big-Picture Parade of Life

Jesus wants us focused on the whole ‘parade of God’ that we are involved in, from the time we reach spiritual consciousness to the grave. He doesn’t just want us seeing the float (a part of life) directly in front of us. He wants our hearts renewed so we see a bigger worldview, and the new dispensation we’re given. Often we’re too near-sighted like Zechariah was, and not receptive enough like Mary was.

In this life we’re too focused on how the world works in cause and effect — “do good and get praised or promoted — do bad and get spanked or fired.”

Often, preachers copy this formula and try to make it work the same in God’s Kingdom on earth too. It’s living by laws and rules, as shown by McDONALDS McCHURCHIANITY, (another set of 3 stories I’m doing at this same time).

But God’s gospel dispensation is totally different. In God’s economy, it’s not about being good and avoiding bad. It’s about accepting him on his terms and living in him. He wants our responsiveness in any way he chooses to present himself, even as an angel. This is seemingly something Zechariah had not learned yet, but Mary apparently had.

Meditating on Advent, the birth of Jesus is one way to enter into this.

Images of Bing free to use and share: https://tinyurl.com/yaeefyr7

I’ve never been very religious in following church rituals like Advent. I’m a believer and follower of Jesus, and I think I have a keen spiritual awareness, but I’m not a very religious person.

As I think about it, in the people I’ve mentioned, we are presented with very good character studies that we need to consider: (1) Mary is very positive, and (2) Zecharias is negative. The first represents faith and trust in God. The second represents unbelief and skepticism in God.

Mary readily received her Christmas gift from God. Zecharias refused his gift. Where are you?