A Reflection From the Message

Reflecting is what I have been doing a lot of lately. With Christmas just around the corner, I can’t help but look at my own life and think about how I reflect the joy of Christmas, like I talked about yesterday. I don’t know if you have ever read from The Message. The Message is a translation of the Bible that is a paraphrase. Though I normally don’t study from it, today I just pulled it out to see what it had to say about a certain passage. Here is what I read:

Philippians 4: 4-9

Celebrate God all day, everyday. I mean revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Helpt hem see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

One part I absolutely love how that is put – it’s so matter of fact. Pray about all things instead of worrying, and live a life for God. God could show up any minute! Think about that for a second! ANY MINUTE! Think about when Christ was born – the sense of awe, humbleness, and comfort that was brought into that inn! I can’t imagine what Mary had felt – to know she was the mother of the Savior. To know God chose HER. I think about that and then read this passage and wonder do I live a life that meditates on things that are true? Noble? Authentic? Reading this passage gets me excited – excited to celebrate Christ’s birth – excited to celebrate Christ being in my life – and excited that daily I have a chance to read His Word and meditate on those truths. I feel when I have “more” of God in my life, I worry less; when I try to live life on my own, I stress, worry, and wonder. I praise God today for sending His perfect Son to this earth and that we have a chance to celebrate that this week!

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