“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me–holy is His name” (Luke 1:46-49).

I had the role of planning and leading our Christmas Eve service. In the beginning I invited the little children to come forward to the manger setting on the platform to play the role of the shepherds, Joseph, and Mary. A three year old visitor, without hesitation, came forward and at my invitation she sat down on Mary’s three legged stool right next to Baby Jesus in the manger. Three year old Tirza immediately marched right up the steps behind her. She reached right into the manger to remove Baby Jesus and she lovingly cuddled him throughout the song, “Away in a Manger.” The congregation found this impromptu live nativity to be a charming event!

Following the service I was stepping down the steps on the platform when I met little Tirza with the absolute intention of climbing the big people steps to make her way back to the wooden stool we had set up earlier for Mary She sat right down on the stool and once again lifted Baby Jesus out of the manger and gave Him tender love and attention. This time no one was looking on. In fact the people left pretty quickly so they could get to other Christmas Eve activities. That got me to thinking.

Tirza didn’t want the role of Mary so others could watch her and whisper, “Isn’t she adorable!” She took her position after others left because that’s where her heart remained during the entire service. We had an abundance of Scripture narration, Christmas carols, Pastor’s meditation, Communion, and the Candle Lighting service but Tirza must have been thinking of Baby Jesus lying there in a manger all by Himself while we were busy with all the other Christmas Eve activities.

Her innocent childlike affection for the newborn babe is a lesson for all of us who get busy with the multitude of the season’s activities but we unintentionally leave Baby Jesus all alone in His manger. Our love and affection can be shown to Him by reading His Word and endearing it to our heart and, like Mary, though she didn’t understand everything she was told chose to “treasure up all these things and ponder them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

We are at the dawn of a New Year where we’re often challenged to make New Year’s resolutions. In this New Year I want to challenge you to treasure your relationship with Christ just as little Tirza treasured Baby Jesus. Don’t leave your Bible on a shelf only to be pulled down when others might take notice as you go to church. Read it daily, ponder its meaning for your life, search for hidden truths and most especially apply the message to your heart. Hopefully your Bible will show plenty of wear, not because of abuse but because of daily usage.

It is through the faithful reading of Scripture and daily prayer that we will be able to rejoice and proclaim just like Mary, “The Mighty One has done great things for me–Holy is His name.”

Be encouraged today,

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily Prayer: Father, we confess that it is often easier to be busy about Your kingdom than it is to sit at the feet of the King. Intensify our desire to set aside a segment of each day to be a sacred time with You so that we faithfully read Your Holy Word and prayerfully commune with You. It is in communion with You that we grow in our love and devotion and we become mindful of the great things You do for us. You are the Mighty One who is at work in our lives–Your name is holy. Amen.

"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4,5).

Do you have a hard time waiting? Are delays difficult to deal with causing you stress and anxiety? For most of us the answer is "yes." God had first promised the Messiah after Adam and Eve's transgression in the garden. Over the next several millenniums there was a growing body of Messianic promises that the Jewish people were given. At the time of Christ's birth two elderly Jewish people are mentioned in Luke who had longed for the Messiah's coming. Simeon had been "waiting for the consolation of Israel", and Anna "spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem."

In the daily text the Apostle Paul is reflecting on the events of Christ's incarnation. He uses an intriguing phrase "when the fullness of the time came" to describe that wonderful moment in space and time when God acted on our behalf in sending His Son for our redemption. The long wait was over. The faith of devout people like Simeon and Anna and others like them was now reality. God kept His promise.

And God still keeps His promises. He always will. He'll keep everyone of them. We have the perspective of looking back and seeing the fulfillment of the greatest of God's promises. This occurred after a long wait and in "the fullness of the time."

I believe I come to an understanding of this verse better when I recognize that it's the fullness of God's time, not ours. Many of us are waiting for God's promises to be fulfilled in our lives. The wait can be very trying. Many are living with an ongoing burden for spiritually wayward family members, others have long-standing physical ailments in their lives or in someone they love. And on my heart this morning are so many of our dear brothers and sisters living in very oppressive conditions. And we all wait for that next great cosmic event when Jesus again keeps His last word to us when He declared, "Yes, I am coming soon."

God has fulfilled the biggest promise. Let us wait with faith and assurance that "in His time" He will also take care of the scores of other matters we all deal with. He is faithful!

In His time, in His time;
He makes all things beautiful in His time.
Lord, please show me every day
As You're teaching me Your way
That You do just what You say in Your time.

Be encouraged today,

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, we know that Your time table is pre-ordained in the events that make an eternal difference in our lives. A thousand years is as a day and a day as a thousand years. Help us to patiently wait for Your will to be fulfilled in our personal lives, in the lives of our loved ones, and in the world around us. May we be found steadfast, sober, expectant and alert awaiting the day of your promised return. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Chaplain Stephen and Brooksyne Weber serve with Transport for Christ. Click here to contact the Webers

“And Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife” (Matthew 1:6).

Here we have the fourth detail presented in Matthew’s genealogy regarding great grandmothers of the Messiah. The first three references specifically mention the proper names (Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth) but here we only have the identifying description, “Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.”

Her name was Bathsheba and the story can be found in 2 Samuel 11 & 12. This woman, whom the record describes as “very beautiful” took a public bath in view of the wandering eyes of King David. The rest is classic sin and the attempt to cover-up. But David is confronted by the courageous prophet Nathan which resulted in his confession of sin and restoration.

Now prior to this David had shown much evidence of his spiritual walk and maturity in the Lord. While still a young boy he had by faith conquered Goliath and patiently waited until it was his time to ascend to the throne. Under his leadership the kingdom was doing very well. Many of the Psalms had been written by this time and he had been referred to as “a man after God’s own heart.” Yet the Bible records David’s fall into sin and Matthew reminds us that this is indeed part of the story. Not only did he collapse morally but he also engaged in criminal behavior.

What lesson is there for us today? There are many lessons regarding the nature of temptation and the progression of sin. We wrote about this in our series about David and Bathsheba last week. But I want to highlight this one today: God is still in the forgiveness and restoration business. David’s sin was not excused, but he was forgiven.

God’s nature is to forgive. Are you burdened down under a load of sin today? Have you sinned even as a believer? Of course you have. We all have. Is your sin a “big one” like David’s? I don’t read any restrictions in God’s offer to the earnestly repentant. His Word is very unambiguous: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Why don’t you accept this gracious offer of forgiveness today?

Be encouraged today,

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

“Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab” (Matthew 1:5). “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient” (Hebrews 11:31).

I received an email with an interesting perspective. A reader shared how she tried to read Matthew and Luke each Christmas season. In reading the names in the genealogies she noted, “I make myself read every one, even if I can’t pronounce them. The way my thinking goes is this: ‘If this person was important enough for God to make sure they are listed in the Bible, it’s important enough for me to read it.’”

Today let us note the second woman mentioned in Matthew’s genealogical record of Christ (Matthew 1:5). Rahab’s story begins in Joshua 2 where she courageously hid the Israelite spies as they were being pursued by the King’s messengers of Jericho. She then helped them to escape by lowering them out a window over the city wall on a rope. And then later, as a guarantee for her family’s safety, she placed a scarlet cord out the window signifying her faith.

The final mention of her in the Old Testament is in Joshua 6:25 where we read that “she lives among the Israelites to this day.” I find it interesting that none of the Old Testament narratives or genealogies refer to her after this and specifically her marriage to Salmon who is listed in Matthew’s genealogy: “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab.”

Dr. W. A. Criswell wrote, “Rahab the harlot is an example of the grace of God at work. Her salvation was not based on her character or merits: she lived in a doomed city, practiced a condemned profession, engaged in subversive activities, and falsified [lied about] her actions. Nevertheless she acted upon faith, and was spared the judgment of God which was executed at the hands of the Israelites.”

Both references to Rahab in the New Testament epistles specifically call attention to Rahab’s background as a prostitute (Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25). But she is commended for her faith and obedience in assisting the Israelites.

Some may wonder what business the Israelite spies had staying in the house of a prostitute which was likely also an inn. We could speculate that it would also have been a good place for strangers to enter and gain information without undue suspicion!

Rahab was not a member of the covenant community nor was she bound to its moral laws. Yet, after hearing the miraculous stories of the Red Sea crossing and their great military defeats, she was observant and had a great sense that these spies would conquer her homeland of Jericho as she said to them, “I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us…” (Joshua 2:9).

I believe there’s a great lesson in her purposeful inclusion in the genealogy of Christ. Rahab was certainly not deserving of salvation on the basis of any type of her own merit. But God saw her faith, rewarded her obedience in tying the scarlet cord in the window, and she is an early example of His grace.

But that’s not all. God used her to fulfill His plan. In the providence of God she married one of her Israelite conquerors and with him bore an ancestor of the Messiah. If God can save and use Rahab the harlot He can surely save and use each one of us! Like her, we’re a trophy of grace, a masterpiece of His mercy and nothing we’ve done could deserve His great love.

What’s your past like? For some it’s like Rahab. But God hasn’t changed. He’s still saving, transforming and using lives today! This message applies to every reader and to those for whom you are praying to be saved.

Be encouraged today,

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber