Difficult Times
Dearly beloved of God, sometimes we are confronted with situations that seem difficult to us, but they are not so different from those that other of God’s people have faced throughout the years.
Put yourself in Mary and Joseph’s sandals through the series of events they went through leading up to the birth of Christ.
Mary would have been a teenager according to the timing of marriages in their culture.
I have lived through some difficult times, but I did not have to move my family to Egypt to escape the king’s attempt to murder my son.
At this time in history Judea was a captive nation under the rule of the Roman empire. Their high priest was born of the devil’s seed. There had not been a man of God in Israel for 400 years. Their king was corrupt and evil to say the very least.
The traditions and doctrines of men were mixed with the Scriptures and replaced the truth of the Word of God.
The Sadducees did not even believe in the resurrection. They taught doctrines like reincarnation and they believed Plato’s teachings more than God’s Word. The Pharisees were legalistic hypocrites, and both parties were more concerned about their power and station than in helping God’s people.
There were very few of the nation looking for the coming of the Messiah, but there were Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and John, a few shepherds, Simeon, and Anna among them.
God sent His Son to them in one of the darkest times of their history, and we think we live in difficult times….
Dearly beloved, we have so much more than most people have ever had. We know the love of God in our lives.
We are born again of God’s spirit and are sons of God by the new birth.
We have His Word and know the truth, and we can separate the truth from error.
We know our standing before God in Christ, and our sonship rights as God’s sons.
We have access to the throne of grace because we have God’s spirit born within us, and we are instructed to use to boldly with confidence.
We can pray and have confidence that we have the petitions we sought of the Father.
We know the key to power which is to renew our minds to believe who we are in Christ. We know the Word of God addressed to us.
We know how to believe and receive the things of God in our lives.
We know the hope of Christ Jesus the Lord’s return and we eagerly anticipate our inheritance.
We have the nine manifestations of the holy spirit which God gave every one of us for godly profit. We have the proof that we are born of His spirit and heaven bound and all hell can’t stop us from going!
Dearly beloved, we have all of this and so much more. Our times may be dark, but we have more light than most people have ever seen.
Rejoice, and live with thanksgiving in your heart for all our Heavenly Father has given us in His Son. Why not give what God has given us to someone else this Christmas season, dearly beloved.
Our times are not so difficult are they? God is for us, dearly beloved. It doesn’t matter what we face in this life, our God is for us, and nothing is too hard for Him. He is able and willing to deliver us regardless of our circumstances; it is the good pleasure of His will to deliver us. Just remember what He did for Mary and Joseph.