December 4, 2023: The Promise
- Liana V.
- Dec 4, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 12, 2023
The Promise
“And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Luke 1:35 NKJV
Has God given you a promise? God promises are too big for you to do on your own. John Bevere says the reason for that is because “God doesn't want to share His glory.” If we could do it without God we would get the glory and not Him.
“I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.”
Isaiah 42:8 NKJV
Mary couldn't fulfill the promise on her life without the power of the Holy Spirit. Duh, obviously! That seems so clear in this circumstance. Her promise though larger than any other, is also no different than any other in it’s basic qualities. Every God promise requires the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, nothing Mary could’ve done in her own might could’ve or would’ve brought this promise to fruition.
I know we just covered the subject of Jesus being the gift. He is the greatest gift, the perfect gift, the answer to all of our questions and the solution to every one of our problems. We can lose sight of that. He's not just a gift to us, but a gift we give away.
We live in a production based society. And though work ethic varies from person to person, we are very much still a culture who places importance on fruit of our labor, whether it be money, time, things, or freedom. I think we maintain this idealization when it comes to the things of God too.
What if we took the walls off of the box we put Jesus in? What if we allowed Kingdom agenda into our busy pragmatic lives and turned things upside down? What I’m getting at is much within God’s kingdom is contrary to how we expect things to happen. Our responsibility to the dream God put into our hearts is to:
Make sure it aligns with God’s word.
Is it bigger than your ability and strength?
Have others confirmed it?
Ask God to confirm it.
Tuck it away into your heart- and ponder it from time to time.
Remember it and protect it- covering it with faith.
Obey when He calls.
How are you tending to the dream? Are you watering it with faith? Or staving it with doubt? Have you considered that you might be the answer to someone else’s dream when you give them Jesus?
Prayer: Father God, thank you for planting a dream in each of our hearts. Thank you for the courage to water it. And thank you for the courage to seek it out, if I’m not quite sure what it is. Lord, let me find rest in your presence this season. Let me create space to listen for your whisper and hear you speak to me this Christmas. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Shameless plug: I know we're all created different- we have different gifting, different dreams, different weaknesses, and different fears. We would love if you don't know how to share Jesus if you shared us.
Cranberry Popcorn Garland
This was the first time we have ever made Cranberry Popcorn Garland. There are also other beautiful alternatives I have included. The sky is the limit. You can do just popcorn as well.
Things I loved most about making the garland: sharing the garland sewing with my daughter and I love the nod to traditional Christmas decor.
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