The Captivating Woman

Designed with purpose.

Love: Luke 1:39-45, 1 Peter 1:22-23

“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.” – Luke 1:39-45

“You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.” – 1 Peter 1:22-23

Love is presented mainly as a emotion when the truth is that love is a verb.

Love is an action expressed by those that are giving love to those who are receiving love. Today love can masquerade as many broken and untrue things but the reality is this, God is love. The deepest and most profound sense of the word. This love has the power to completely one hundred precent ravish us in the most beautiful way.

God showed us His love in action by giving us His one and only Son (John 3:16). We may have heard these words before but let us take a minute to really let those words be expanded to us. God gave us Jesus to that we could be in relationship once more with Him. God is love in its purest, truest form.

When God sent His son to us, He choose a willing vessel to cary out His action of love.

Mary wasn’t this super extraordinary woman. She, like many before her, had her heart set on the God and had “found favor with God.” Luke 1:30. Let us be like Mary that we may also find favor with God.

It was in this moment that God sent the angel Gabriel to tell Mary that she was chosen and favored to be a vessel for God. Mary was to bring the Son of God into this world. She then had the opportunity to show her love in action. Even though she was chosen and favored by God, Mary could have said “no”. Mary, however, choose to express her love by receiving that God had for her—this was her love toward God in action. Mary was completely transformed when she received this love from God. From the inside to the outside, Mary experienced the fullness of God by receiving His love.

Just as it was true for Mary, this is true for us.

God still desires to give us His love. It’s still His gift to us and when we receive this gift we can love God and love one another (Matthew 22:36-40). Part of the Father’s heart for us is that we would love one another.

1 Peter 1:22 tells us that we are to “love one another earnestly from a pure heart.” Since we know who love is, we are to show who love is and show our love in actions toward those in our lives. Take some time to ask the Lord if there are areas in your life where you aren’t showing sincere love toward someone else.

As we prepare to enter the final week of Advent let us rejoice in what the Lord has done in this time. Let us continue to be changed by the wonderful and powerful love of Christ. This love that covers a multitude of sin (1 Peter 4:8), love that has paid for it all on the cross (John 19:10), love that offers eternal life (John 3:17), love that sets us free (Galatians 5:1).

God’s love will never run out. God’s love will never lose power.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.” Hebrews 3:18

Joy: Luke 7:18-28, 1 Peter 1:6-9

“The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’ At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” After John’s disciples left, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people who wear beautiful clothes and live in luxury are found in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!” – Luke 7:18-28

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:6-9

We all seek a certain level of happiness. We all strive to be happy.  We all snap the perfect Instagram to show the world, or at least our followers, that we are so happy.

Happiness, as it is presented in our broken world, tends to be fleeting. Joy however is eternal.

Joy comes from the depths of our being. It is a beautiful gift from God our Father to us. John 15:11 says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Joy is someone or something that provides a source of happiness. Joy comes from Jesus. God wants us to have fullness of joy. Joy is our source to true happiness, without joy we will always be striving for happiness.  With true joy our happiness will come from the source, Jesus.

In Luke 7, we read the messengers that John the Baptist sent out to ask Jesus if He was the one they had been waiting for or if they should search for another.  They set out on a simple mission, to ask one question of Jesus. If you had a simple mission, what would you ask Jesus? Once they had asked their question, Jesus told them to “go and tell John what you have seen…”.  The messengers set out again.

We are called to be messengers of God and His joy.

We are to take what Jesus has placed in us and share it with those around us. “Go and tell” about His goodness, His grace, His peace, His love, and His joy. There are times though when joy is hard to shared. 1 Peter 1:6 tells us to rejoice.

Rejoice even in the trials both small and big, in times of hardship, in times of celebration. The word rejoice is a verb, it’s an action word. The Word is telling us to express our joy, to be ecstatic with joy. There are times when we don’t want to rejoice, it’s in these moments that our faith is tested. Tested in the most purest way because our faith is precious to God—more precious than any gold. When this testing happens, James tells us to, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4) Again we see that God wants us to be complete, lacking nothing or in other words full—“that your joy may be full”.

It is through the revelation of Christ Jesus that He is made known to us.

It’s through this revelation that we can love Him even though we have never seen Him and though we have never seen Him we can “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.”

In our pursuit of Jesus we encounter many things, but ultimately we encounter a friend and our source of true joy. The source that will never run dry. The source that will always be there for us. The source that will strengthen us. The source that will never changes and only gets sweeter with time. The everlasting source that will place His joy inside your heart and that will make that joy full!

Peace: Luke 3:1-22, 1 Peter 3:10-12

“It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him! The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.'” When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” The crowds asked, “What should we do?” John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?” He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.” “What should we do?” asked some soldiers. John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.” Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah.  John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people. John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others. One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” – Luke 3:1-22

“For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.” – 1 Peter 3:10-12

There is always a preparation that precedes a work of God.

Areas of our lives sometimes must go through a massive restructuring or they sometimes go through small precise remodels. In either way, there is a preparation that comes before hand.

Take the time to ask yourself: How can I continue to prepare for the work that the Lord wants to do in this time? How am I preparing the way for the Lord in my life?

When we prepare ourselves, we position ourselves to receive what God has for us.

One of the biggest things God wants to give us and surround us with is peace. Peace is something that we all desire and need. Lack of peace is evident in our lives. It can lead to disturbance in our sleep, varied thought patterns, wavering emotions, inability to focus just to name a few.

This is stress.

Stress in our lives is the exact opposite of what God’s peace. It’s important for us in our relationships with Christ to recognize when we have a lack of peace. The sooner we recognize the lack of peace the quicker we can come back the the peace of the Lord. The quicker we can come back to the fullness of what God has for us. Just as the lack of peace is evident in our lives so the is the peace of the Lord in our lives.

1 Peter 3 tells us to “seek peace and pursue it.” It is part of our lives in Christ to pursue the glorious peace that He has for us. It’s easy for us to become distracted, for our focus to be on something else, for us to be fooled by schemes of the enemy. The beauty in it all is that we have victory over all distractions and deviations. We have full and permanent access to our King who gives us “peace that surpasses all understanding” Philippians 4:7.  Philippians also tells us that this peace “will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

When we pursue peace we receive the blessing of God protecting us from the distractions and deviations that would try to trouble our minds and our hearts.

Hope: Luke 19:28-40; 1 Peter 1:3-5

“After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.”They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives,the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Luke 19:28-40

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
 1 Peter 1:3-5

As we prepare our hearts for this Advent season, now is as good as time as any to allow Jesus to shine areas in our lives that He wants to come in and change.

The word Advent means coming or the arrival of something that has been expected.

There is something that we have all waited for, the list could be endless. As I begin to think of the endless list I am brought to a simple yet profound thought.  What has the Lord been waiting for from me?

Take sometime to think about it, but don’t be hard on yourself.

There could be one thing that comes to mind or there could be many. The purpose behind this question is for us to see areas that Jesus wants to come in and heal, redeem and restore to His plan and purpose in our lives. There can be areas that He was been waiting for from us to surrender and lay down to Him. This simple action will stir in your heart the soil needed to start the work that the Lord is wanting to do during this season.

In this we can find hope.

A deep hope rooted in Jesus Christ.

Hope, as is written in Hebrews 6:19, is a sure and steadfast anchor for our souls. Hope is something that we can rest in. Hope is a much more than a feeling. It’s change of heart and of mind. It’s a charge for us to believe that our King is who He says He is.

In Luke, we find the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem. This was His “triumphal entry”.  The event that everyone had been waiting for is finally here. Passover is about to begin and all of Jerusalem is preparing themselves for it and what does Jesus do? He enters on a donkey.  He enters Jerusalem in the most unlikely way.

This is a perfect picture of what Jesus does in most our lives though.

He enters in the most unlikely ways. He comes in a spectacular ways with a triumphant explosion of love and wonder and other times He enters gently and softly wanting to simply pour out the splendor of His goodness and love on us.

Our hope should never move from this. Jesus wants to come in and ravish us with who He is. He wants to give us what He purchased on the cross. We have a living hope in Christ Jesus that allows us access to Jesus and all that God has for us.  Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we have access to a multitude of blessings that cannot be taken from us. We have access to a Kingdom that will never end, with an inheritance that will never be defiled and that cannot perish.

In this season of preparing our hearts for the coming of the Lord, we must take the time to see where we have let hope fade. In this time we must allow ourselves to fall back into the arms of our loving Father, back in the arms of hope, back into the arms of love.