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The True Scope of Life
Andrea Lende • November 23, 2020
Matthew 1:21
The True Scope of Life
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/The-True-Scope-of-Life-emrp5v
Matthew 1:21
“She will bear a Son, and you shall call his name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].”
It is always a blessing to read the story of the birth of Jesus this time of year.
As I read this story in Matthew today, I found our verse which spoke to me in a different way than it had in the past.
The last part of the verse truly stood out to me, “He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].”
I am so thankful the Lord sent His Son to cover me from my sins and draw me to Himself.
As I reflect on this verse, I think about the seasons of life.
Each season has brought new adventures, goals to chase, and challenges to overcome.
Each season has its own roadmap of busyness.
I hardly remember a time when I didn’t feel busy and tired.
And, yet our verse clearly says that the true scope of life is God.
The real meaning of life is God.
Today, I feel like I missed this during many of the seasons of my life.
I didn’t always give the Lord my time.
I didn’t sit with Him and commune with Him.
I merely went on with my day and spoke a few words to Him here and there.
And I regret those seasons.
However, the angel of the Lord told Joseph that his son, Jesus, would save us from ourselves.
Jesus would prevent us from failing and missing the mark.
He would keep us from missing the point of this life – truly knowing God.
I am so thankful the Lord didn’t leave me alone even when I didn’t make enough time for Him.
He didn’t abandon me just because I was pursuing other dreams instead of pursuing Him.
His grace has been so wonderfully poured over my life.
The beauty of our passage today is that He has enough grace for all our short comings and short sightedness.
He sent His Son to cover us.
Today I am grateful the Lord sent His Son to cover me in all ways and draw me close to Him as I recognize He is my All in All and my Everything.
May you find the Lord keeps you for Himself and draws You to Him as you realize He is the true scope of life.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me more of Your grace. Thank You for sending Your Son to live and die for me to cover me in all ways and deliver me from myself. Thank You for drawing me close to You. You could have left me on my own, but You didn’t. You could have left me as I went on with my life and pursued other dreams, but You didn’t. You continued to call me to You. You knew my heart would not be satisfied without You, Lord. So, You pursued me. You never stopped pursuing me. Only You can satisfy the true longings in my heart. Only You can give me peace. Only You, Lord. Thank you for redirecting my heart to You. Thank You for filling my soul with Your Holy Spirit. Keep my heart soft toward You, Lord. Keep me seeking You. Keep me at Your feet. As the chaos ensues around me, may You keep me at peace in Your presence. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM your God, My child, and will fulfill your every desire.
Response: Thank You, Almighty and All-Powerful God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.