Waiting Until It’s Time

December 28

(Luke 2:51a NIV) "Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them."

(Luke 3:23 NIV)  "Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,"

(Philippians 2:5-11 NIV) "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: {6} Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, {7} but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. {8} And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! {9} Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, {10} that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, {11} and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

(Isaiah 40:31 ESV) “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

After His success at drawing a crowd and impressing the religious leaders at the Temple, Jesus could have probably stayed there and become the child prodigy of Judaism. He could have continued to gather a following and raked in a fortune as “The Colossal Child Prophet”. Instead, He went home with His parents and was obedient to them until His time came. Luke tells us that Jesus was twelve years old when He first taught in the Temple, but that He didn’t begin His public ministry until He was about thirty. This means He spent eighteen more years in obedience to His parents, growing spiritually, and preparing Himself to be Savior of the world. He waited until it was time. He didn’t run ahead of God, but took on the nature of a servant; first to His parents, and then to His Father in Heaven. In this new year to come, be patient, and wait upon the Lord. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day 

Christ’s Father -- Our Father

December 27

(Luke 2:48-50 NIV) "When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." {49} "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" {50} But they did not understand what he was saying to them."

(John 2:16 NIV) "To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!""

(John 6:40 NIV) "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.""

(John 14:2 NIV) "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you."

(John 15:8 NIV) "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

When Joseph and Mary headed home from Jerusalem, Jesus stayed behind. He spent three days in the temple amazing the religious teachers with His spiritual wisdom. When His parents returned and found Him, they were upset that He had caused them anxiety. Jesus told them that they should have known He would be in God’s temple, “His Father’s house”. Jesus was aware that His Father was God. Later in His ministry, Jesus declared that His Father’s house was a holy place and should not be desecrated. He told His disciples that His Father’s heavenly house had many rooms, and that He was going there to prepare a place for them. He taught that His Father’s will was for them to bear much fruit, and to have eternal life. And the awesome truth today is that when we believe God and are born again, Christ’s Father becomes our Father. We can become true children of God. Believe God! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day   

Questions and Answers

December 26

(Luke 2:46-47 NIV) "After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. {47} Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers."

(Matthew 22:41-46 NIV) "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, {42} "What do you think about the Christ ? Whose son is he?" "The son of David," they replied. {43} He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says, {44} "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."' {45} If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" {46} No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions."

Most people think that being wise means being able to answer all the questions -- but if you observe those who are genuinely wise you will see that wisdom is more about being able to ask the right questions. Asking the right questions is the key to obtaining the right answers. If you don’t ask the right questions, you will never obtain wisdom. If you follow Christ’s ministry, you will see that He always asked the right questions. He had this gift from an early age. When Jesus was only twelve years old, He was left behind by His parents at the Passover Feast. He spent three days in the temple courts, asking questions of the wise teachers. His questions caused them to marvel at His spiritual depth, and His answers came out of a wisdom that only God could give. His understanding revealed a heart so in tune with God that He could have been the Son of God. The Christ had arrived! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Whose Birthday?

December 25

(Luke 2:11 NIV) "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

(Matthew 1:22-23 NIV) "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: {23} "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us.""

(John 1:14 NIV) "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."

(Luke 22:19 NIV) "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

The story is told of a youngster complaining on Christmas Day. The boy was disappointed that he didn’t get everything he wanted. A wise grandfather took the child aside, put him on his knee, looked him straight in the eye, and told him, “Son, it’s not your birthday!” Perhaps we could use this reminder also. Today, a Savior was born. His name is Christ the Lord. He is also called Immanuel, or “God with us”. The Word became flesh, and came to live among us. It’s His birthday we celebrate, not ours. This day belongs to Him. He came as a light in the darkness, to seek and save the lost. He gave His body and His life so that we could have the gift of salvation, by grace, through faith. Among the chaos that is often Christmas, the least we can do is remember Him, and remember whose birthday we are celebrating. Merry Christmas! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day