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Day 206 – Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #2

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 206 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 206 of our Trek, and this week we are hiking the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the second part of the story titled Christmas Wisdom:  The Story of the Wise Men. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

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We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Final preparations and packing will be completed today so that we will be ready to head to The Big House for Christmas. We will remain there until New Year’s Day when we will return back to Home2.

During this Christmas week, we continue to invest our time on our trek together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the first part of our story…

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #2

As we hike the Christmas Trail together today, let me start by reading the story of the Wise Men in Matthew 2:1-12.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling citie] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” 

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 

After this interview, the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

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The second point I want to make on our trek is…

2. A wise man’s journey is one of worship.

When the wise men came on their journey, it was for the purpose of worship. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts have a lot of symbolism associated with them. Gold represents wealth. It is a gift fit for a king. (Jesus was the King of Kings.) Frankincense is the sap of a tree that was dried and hardened and used as incense to worship God. Thus, we see a gift for his deity. (Jesus was the Son of God.) Myrrh is a fragrant perfume that was used to anoint the dead – to embalm and preserve them. (Jesus was The Sacrificial Lamb.)

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But there is more to worship than presenting a gift of gold, frankincense, or myrrh, isn’t there?

FACT: Worship always involves sacrifice.

Was there a price to be paid for the wise men’s worship? You bet. They had given themselves to a journey. Travel in those days was not very comfortable. In fact, it could be downright dangerous. The wise men had sacrificed their own comfort to find the King and worship Him. Listen to what David said about sacrifice in  2 Samuel 24:24, “But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.’ So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.”

Romans 12:1 says it this way, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”

living-sacrificesTo truly worship requires sacrifice.

The greatest gift, the greatest sacrifice you can give to God is yourself. You say, “But I have given nothing to Him today.” But I say, “Yes you have!” Even today you have given Him something of yourself. You have given Him your time by listening to this podcast or reading the journal.  When you volunteer time or donate money to churches or charities that promote God’s work throughout the world, you are sacrificing. When you give of yourself to others to impact them for Christ, you become a living sacrifice, even though you may not view it like that and even though you may not have realized it. The efforts you make to worship in word and deed in God’s name, you sacrifice to Him. But here is a fact I want you all to remember today…

FACT: What God wants most of all, above everything else, is me.

He wants your heart. He wants your attention 24/7. The question to ask is “What am I willing to give Him? Am I willing to give Him my best? Am I willing to go on a spiritual journey to worship Him? Am I willing to give up my comfort zone to follow Christ?” The wise men were, are you?

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The third point I want to make on our Trek today is…

3. A wise man’s journey is one of change.

Look at verse 12 with me…

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Isn’t it interesting that after they worshiped Jesus they could not go back the same way that they had come? I find that to be a fact even today. Once you have met God, you will never be the same. An encounter with God changes things. It changes you, doesn’t it? It’s always been that way.

Once you have met God, you will never be the same.

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Jacob, who was renamed Israel, wrestled with God and never walked the same the rest of his life.

Isaiah stepped into the presence of God and proclaimed chapter 6:5, “Then I said, ‘It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, theLord of Heaven’s Armies.’”

Job questions God over and over again concerning his suffering, and when God shows up. Job says in chapter 40:4-5…

“I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.”
Job met God and became a changed man.

That is what happens when we walk into the presence of God. We become changed. That is what happened to the wise men when they encountered Christ. They were changed. That is what happens when we encounter Christ. Things become different.

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It’s Christmas time, and we hear the story of the wise men. They were wise because they had faith. They were wise because they worshiped, and they were changed forever – all because of a child. How about you? Are you looking for a change in your life? Find Christ this Christmas and I can guarantee that you will be changed. Things will be different. Step out in faith and seek Him as the wise men did.

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Tomorrow and the next day, we will explore our final Christmas Story called, Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us. Please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 205 – Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #1

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 205 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 205 of our Trek, and this week we are hiking the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the first part of the story titled Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

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We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. There are many activities for this week as we wrap up before heading north on Christmas Eve. We should be leaving early in the day and dropping Paula’s mom off at her sister Ruth’s house in Spotsylvania, Virginia for Christmas. Then Paula and I will head on to Marietta and should get in late on Christmas Eve.

Fred and his friend Doug came over for dinner on Monday evening, and we watched the Grinch movie. We also were able to watch our grandson Kip on Monday, so Kip and Chelimo joined us for the evening. It is great to be able to spend time with family.

During this Christmas week, we continue to invest our time on our Trek together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the first part of our story…

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #1

As we hike the Christmas Trail together today, let me start by reading the story of the Wise Men in Matthew 2:1-12.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling citie] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” 

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 

After this interview, the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

wise-men

The story of the wise men is a story that is shrouded in mystery. From tradition, we seem to know all the facts and details. But, as we study the scripture, we find that there are a lot of questions we cannot answer about the wise men from the Biblical text. For example…
How many were there? We don’t know.
Where did they come from? We don’t know.
How long did their journey take? We don’t know.

They seem to just show up mysteriously, and just as mysteriously they are gone. But one thing I am certain about is that the number of wise men and women increases in every generation as people continue to seek Christ. Today and tomorrow we will look at three facts that we can learn from the story of the wise men. We will cover the first one today and then continue with the remaining two tomorrow.

1. A wise man’s journey is one of faith.

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
8250880399_b1f3db32a2_bWhat would prompt someone to leave the comfort of home to go on a dangerous journey? Romance? Yes. Wealth? Most definitely. But faith? Yes, even faith. “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” What a probing question! There is no doubt in their language that He had been born. The question is “Where is He?” They had seen the star. The evidence was real…Now where is He? They had faith that He was alive – that He existed. Now all they needed to do was to find Him.

Their purpose was established – find Him. And so they were willing to risk everything to find Him. They were willing to leave the safety of their homes to risk a perilous journey to seek a King. This was their Wisdom-Trek.

Can you imagine their neighbor’s reaction? “Are you going on a journey?” “Yes.” “Where are you going?” “We don’t know for sure.” “How far is it?” “Well, we don’t know that either.” “How long are you going to be gone?” “Well we’re not quite sure on that either.” “Boy, for wise men you sure don’t know much do you?”

But you know they must have said the same things to Abraham when he left his home for the Promised Land. They must have said the same things to Noah who was building an ark, even though it had never rained in the history of the earth up until that point. They must have said the same kind of things to Peter, Andrew, John, and James when they left the fishing nets to become fishers of men. What are you crazy? Are you insane? Are you out of your minds? No not crazy. Not insane. Not out of their minds. They were men of faith.

FACT: God’s journeys always involve faith.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us about faith, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

cover picPeople of faith have been willing to respond to the challenges of the unknown over and over again throughout history.

William Cary was a shoemaker when one day he heard of the millions of people in India who had not heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. He believed the great commission to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” He believed that that verse was speaking directly to him, so he volunteered to go to India. But, he was told, “Young man, sit down. When God wants to convert the heathen, He will do it without your help.” Cary went anyway, supporting himself. For seven years he worked without seeing a single convert, but by the end of his life, he saw hundreds of churches and thousands of converts. Today he is known as the “Father of Modern Missions.” He was a man of faith.

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If we are going to be wise men and women on our trek of life, we need to know and internalize the three facts for our trek. We looked at the first fact today, which is that our trek of life will always involve faith. A wise person realizes that in life no one knows the future with certainty, so you must rely on faith in the One who does know. It is God through His Word that will give us direction, even if we can only see a few steps in front of us. Psalms 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”  Tomorrow we will explore the remaining two facts in our story Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men. Please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

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That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 204 – Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #2

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 204 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 204 of our Trek, and this week we started on a series of stories that we will study between now and Christmas as we hike the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the second part of the story titled Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

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We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We were blessed to be able to attend our local fellowship of believers in Charlotte this week. It was a special Christmas service, and we are so glad that we were in town. It has been several months since we were able to attend two weeks in a row.

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With Christmas quickly approaching, we will spend our time together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the second part of our story…

Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #2

There are three parts to this story of hope that Mary had. Yesterday we covered Mary’s Hossana, which was her song of praise called The Magnificant. I will read it again today to tie in yesterday’s hike.

· The Magnificant: Mary’s Song of Praise

Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
     How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

Today we want to focus on Mary’s humility and her hope.

Mary’s Humility

There are three key elements to humility. Do you know what they are?

First, realize you’re not in charge.

Matthew 6:27 – Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

There are some things you can change. There are many things you can’t change. What you can’t change, put in God’s hands.

Second, accept your position as servant.

Matthew 23:11 –The greatest among you must be a servant.

Third, submit yourself to God.

James 4:6-7 – And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Handmaid Mary

Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.

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Mary knew that she would now live her whole life under a cloud of suspicion from her family and neighbors. Embedded in her decision to be fully submissive to God’s call was the willingness to suffer possible ridicule, loneliness, and contempt. God chose her, and she submitted to His will.

Mary accepted God’s will in Luke 1:38, “Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.’”

There is no evidence of Mary thinking that she was any different than anyone else. In fact, she speaks of being a servant of the Lord and how she lived in a lowly state. She realized that among all women of all time she was fortunate to be the one to bear the Christ child.

It is taught throughout the scriptures that God is no respecter of persons. Do you think that at the judgment seat of Christ He will give rich people the place of honor when it is taught in James that it is wrong to be a respecter of people because of their wealth? Do you think He will allow kings and presidents to stand before Him without bended knee when the Bible says, “Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Christ as Lord.”? No, absolutely not. God is not a respecter of people. He looks on the humble and the meek, and He smiles with pleasure. In Mary, He found a humble vessel that He could use for His glory. It is wonderful that God can take a nobody and make a somebody out of them. God is not looking for rank, wealth, or power. He is looking for people who have a humble heart. He is looking for one who displays true humility like Mary.

It is wonderful that God can take a nobody and make a somebody out of them.

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Mary’s Hope

Mary put her hope in the promises of God. She undoubtedly knew scripture. She had heard the stories passed down through the family about a God who had promised a savior – a messiah. She knew that God was faithful. Notice what she said in verse 55, “For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

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Mary knew the promise that had been passed down from generation to generation – that one would be born of the seed of Abraham who would save people from their sins. She realized that she had been chosen – of all the women who had ever lived – to be the mother of that child.

The first coming of Christ brought hope to the world, but so will His second coming. Jesus has promised that one day He will return. One day Jesus will come and take His bride the church to be his wife and to live with Him forever and ever. It’s almost like a fairy tale. The Prince of Peace will come riding on a white horse to rescue His beloved, His bride, the church. It sounds like a fairy tale, yet it is absolutely true. Christ will come to take His beauty home. That is if you and I are in Christ, if we know Him in a personal way, He is coming back for us. If you have a personal relationship with Him, you too can have hope for an eternal future. Because He loves you. If you don’t know Him, that can change right here right now. Here is what you do.

A. Admit that God has not had first place in your life and that you have sinned.

 1 John 1:9 – But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

B. Believe that Jesus died for your sins.

Romans 10:9 – If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

C. Accept God’s free gift of salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 – God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

D. Invite Jesus to come into your life and take control.

John 1:12-13 – But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

Christ has come to give you hope. Christmas – Hope.

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Mary the ordinary, humble servant, went from fear, to praise, to hope. When we become fearful, let us remember that God is in control and will use us to fulfill his plan for the world. Praise God, be humble, and have hope that His plan will allow you to live a legacy each day that will impact the world. Tomorrow we will explore Christmas Wisdom: The Story about the Wise Men. Please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

 

Day 203 – Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #1

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 203 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 203 of our Trek, and this week we started on a series of stories that we will study between now and Christmas as we hike the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the first part of the story titled Christmas Hope:  The Story of Mary.  These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

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We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Saturday we were able to visit the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, North Carolina. It was all decorated for Christmas and so beautiful. It has become a tradition for Paula and me and is a nice day trip from our home.

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With Christmas quickly approaching, we will spend our time together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the first part of our story…

Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #1

I want to start off this podcast by doing an exercise. Not a physical exercise but a mental exercise. I want you to remember being 15 years old. What were you doing at 15? Fifteen is an awkward age, isn’t it? You are no longer a child yet you’re not quite an adult. Hormones are doing all sorts of weird things in your body. Peer pressure is especially important at that age, and so is testing the waters of life. Wanting to be independent is also important at that age.

Scholars tell us that 15 was about the age of Mary when the angel came and visited her and told her she would become pregnant. In all likelihood, she was between the age of 13 and 16. Our views on maintaining purity until marriage may be somewhat tainted in the world today, but the issue is not new. Put yourself in Mary’s position as a young teenager who loves God and views remaining pure until marriage as one of her top priorities. She was already pledged to Joseph for marriage. If you were that age and received news like this, how would you respond?  Let’s look and see how Mary did. The story of Mary is found in the book of Luke Chapter [1:26]-56. It is a rather long passage but crucial to learn the entire story of Mary.

Mary-the Annunciation

· The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.” 

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. 

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· Mary Visits Elizabeth

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” 

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· The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise

Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
     How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.” 

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

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Can you imagine all that must have been going through Mary’s mind? She went to her cousin Elizabeth, who was the wife of a priest. After she had met with her, Mary was able to sing a song of praise for being chosen to be the physical mother of the savior of the world.

For our story today and tomorrow, I would like for us to look at three characteristics of Mary. We will look at the first one today:

1. Mary’s Hosanna

(Mary’s Song of Praise and Adoration)

Mary’s response is a song of praise to God. It was a verbal offering from her heart through her words to a Holy God. Let’s read our focal verses again and notice where the focus lies, not on Mary but on God. The focus of the virgin birth is not on Mary but on the power of God. If we were to take out a magnifying glass and examine our focal verse, we would see nothing less than a song of praise to God. We would see adoration. We would see exaltation and pure praise to the Father. This is truly a song of worship. This is truly a song of praise.

Praise is a verbal offering to God from your heart.

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I have heard it said that if the only thing God has done in our lives is to save us, we should praise God from the rising of the sun through the darkness of the night. But He has done so much more for us than that. He has given you the sense of taste so that you can enjoy your favorite food. Praise God. He has given you the sense of smell so you can enjoy flowers or bread baking in the oven. Praise God. He has given you the sense of humor so you can enjoy laughter. Praise God.

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What a beautiful story of fear that was turned to praise and then to hope that the long-awaited savior of the world was about to arrive.  Mary the ordinary, humble servant was chosen to be the vessel in which God would use to fulfill His plan of redemption. When we become fearful, let us remember that God is in control and will use us to fulfill his plan for our world. We can live a legacy each day that will impact the world. What an awesome thought! Let us be willing to be open for whatever God has in His plan for us and to be humble to allow Him to work through us. Tomorrow we will explore Mary’s humbleness and hope. You won’t want to miss it, so encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 202 – Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph #2

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 202 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 202 of our Trek, and yesterday we started on a series of stories that we will study between now and Christmas to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year.  Each story will cover two days, so for today, we will finish our story titled Christmas Courage:  The Story of Joseph.  These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

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We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are coming to the end of another busy week but one that has been rich and satisfying. This term that I use frequently does not mean that everything is going splendid or as planned but that life is an adventure and we should enjoy all aspects of it, even the difficult times.

This week we packed up the containers of caramel corn and got them sent off to their intended destinations. I had to make some additional batches of caramel corn to complete what we needed, so we made a total of 18 batches so far this year although I do make a double batch in each pot. If I calculated properly that would equate to nearly 150 cups of popped corn and 10 cups of various types of nuts. My favorite is with almonds. It is the making of memories that makes the time extra special, but let’s move on down our trail for today.

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As mentioned on yesterday’s Trek with Christmas quickly approaching, we will spend our time together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will start with our story…

Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph #2

I will re-read the passage from yesterday to set the continuation of our story today. This passage is Matthew [1:18]-25.

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.  As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[b] for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

  1. God gives us the courage to overcome our doubts and fears.

We can only imagine how Joseph must have felt when he found out that Mary was pregnant. His natural response would have been that she had been unfaithful to him. He knew the child was not his. She must have been unfaithful. What emotions do you think he would have?

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Shock, disappointment, embarrassment, sorrow, anger…Probably a mixture of all. Yet Joseph’s character enabled him to keep a rein on his emotions. His love for God and for Mary compelled him to seek a way to protect her. You know the scripture says  in 1 Peter 4:8, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”

And also in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Joseph faced down his own emotions and courageously chose to protect Mary. Can you imagine rumors that must have spread through the community? The neighbors would have thought that they had broken the law. Obviously the neighbors thought that they were having a sexual relationship.

Regardless of what others say or think, we must do what Joseph did. It is always the right time to do the right thing.

God gives us the courage to face our own doubts and fears and also the rumors of others.

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The third point I want to explore with you in this courageous story of Joseph is…

3. God gives us the courage to face the future.

It would take unrelenting courage to deal with the life that Joseph had to face.

In the case of Joseph, he was given a vision – a dream to help reinforce his faith. He knew the neighbor’s opinion of him would change. He knew the rumors would be flying. But he also knew that God had spoken to him in a special way. The scriptures say, “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.”

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Does God always give a vision to people? No. It does not appear to be frequent today since we have the full revelation of Jesus Christ in God’s Word. But sometimes He does. Sometimes God will give you a vision. Does God always give a vision to people? No. It does not appear to be frequent today since we have the full revelation of Jesus Christ in God’s Word. But sometimes He does. Sometimes God will give you a vision. Sometimes He will speak to you in a dream. Sometimes He will lead you to a verse in the Bible and show you how that verse applies to your situation. He does not do that every time, but sometimes He does. But you know what He will always do? If you are Christian, if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, if you have the Holy Spirit living inside you, He will never, never, never leave you or forsake you. He will always be there. That is a promise.

Hebrews 13:5 – Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,  “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

This fact gives me the courage to face the unknown as described in Romans 8:31. – This fact gives me the courage to face the unknown a. As described in Romans 8:31. – What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

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When we face doubts, when we face fears, when we face an uncertain future, we are tempted to avoid the wilderness. We like our comfort zones. If we are approaching an area of the unknown, we try to find another way around or to make a U-turn to avoid it. We are afraid of the wilderness. There might be Giants there. There might be bullies there. There might be rumors and teasing. There might be hardships and struggles. But it is only by a journey through the wilderness that we will reach the Promised Land. And if we make the journey, God will be with us. Think of what Joseph had to endure and remember:

It is only by a journey through the wilderness that we will reach the Promised Land.

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  • God gives courage to ordinary people like you and me and Joseph.
  • God gives the courage to face our doubts and fears.
  • God gives the courage to face the future.
  • Trust in God – believe in Him. No matter what you are going through He will be there with you.

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What a marvelous story of courage that we find in this ordinary and humble man, Joseph.  Dare to be a Joseph. Dare to be ordinary but good. We can be courageous and remain good in the face of hardships, ridicule, and slander.  We should all endeavor to be like Joseph in our lives. Tomorrow our story will switch to another ordinary person in the story called Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary. You won’t want to miss it, so encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we learn how to have hope in the midst of despair.

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That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!