Hi friends! Can you believe Christmas is only a few days away?! This time of year always goes by so quickly! I hope you are able to soak up the cozy Christmas vibes and reflect on the reason for the season!
Here are this week’s discussion questions:
Chapter 5: With Heart and Soul and Voice
*Would you consider Zechariah’s silence as discipline from God or punishment? What is the difference between the two? Is it difficult to differentiate between the two in your own life?
*Once Zechariah’s silence was lifted, his first reaction was to give praise to God? When difficult times happen in your life what is your first reaction?
*Joseph’s example of obedience was just as compelling as his betrothed’s. What struck you about his character? Are you more apt to ponder obedience to God or act in obedience? What actions in your life would be different if you were completely obedient to the Lord?
Chapter 6: The Wondrous Gift is Given
*Which part of the Lord’s birth impacts you the most? Are you surprised it is given such little space in the Bible?
*”It’s no accident that when the heavenly host came to earth, they sought the company of shepherds, not kings” (pg. 125). Were the shepherds in any way special that they should be the ones to see the heavenly host? What does that say to you about how God works? Or about how He views peoples and their standing?
*What are your favorite Christmas traditions? Do you feel that these traditions add to or take away from the true reason for Christmas? How are you preparing your heart for Christ this Christmas?
Scripture of the Week:
Luke 2:1-20
Prayer of the Week:
Father God, We are in awe of how You work – in ways we cannot even fathom. Thank You for the gift of Christmas and the true reason for the season. Help us to commit to Christmas in our hearts all year through. Your love and plan for our redemption is what we should ponder and keep in our hearts and minds. It was all You and we thank You for creating a way for us to be with You in heaven one day. Help us to keep Christ at the center of our hearts this Christmas and not get caught up in all the traditions of the holiday that don’t truly matter in the long run. We love You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Week:
*Finish “The Women of Christmas” (chapters 7-8)
I can think of only one other reference in the Bible where God literally silences His creation: Daniel and the lions’ den. God shut the lions’ mouths after Daniel had been thrown into their domain so he wouldn’t become their dinner. This was miraculous, powerful, jaw-dropping.
Zechariah’s involuntarily silence doesn’t hold the same emotion, at least not to me at first. While I’ve never imagined God rolling His eyes while Zechariah spoke or holding His hand over his mouth while he gets in just one more syllable, it’s easy for me to think of God smiling that parent smile while Zechariah gives his two cents to Gabriel the angel. If you’re a parent, you know what I’m talking about. The smile that says: “you’ll see, kiddo; I know what I’m talking about.”
Discipline comes in various forms, and I think God used silence as discipline rather than punishment in Zechariah’s situation. He needed to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) – sometimes it takes seemingly extreme measures to do this.
Depending on the intensity/frequency of difficult times, my reaction is to 1) vent about the craziness and 2) start assessing how I can fix it. I’m rarely thinking how I can be obedient.
But even if I do think about it, it’s a completely different thing to act that obedience out. How is that done? As the author states, “we must open our hearts and minds to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” (Page 100) And how do we do that? By acknowledging we don’t have all the answers and laying down our illusion of control.
I need to tape the following statement to my mirror: “Those who are full of themselves must be emptied for their Savior to enter in.” (Page 125) To put it a little differently: how can I obey God if I’m obeying myself?!
Being completely obedient starts with being completely willing to do what God requires. We aren’t going to see the whole picture 99% of the time, and yet, we can know undoubtedly that God sees it – and not only sees us but also sees us through. As the Scripture says, He is the One “who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” (Jude 1:24)
Wow! Once again you hit the nail on the head – my reactions are so similar to difficult times and I rarely think of how I can be obedient to God. I think that because I am mostly a “good girl” I never learned to really deny myself or view my actions as disobedient. I don’t say that to be arrogant; I just mean that I spent so much time observing what behaviors caught praise and which didn’t that I just adapted. Now as an adult I am realizing that my motivations and attitudes were all wrong and that has now affected how I am living my life. God cares about my heart more than anything and yet I think I’m somehow fooling Him with my actions. My guidance must be from the Holy Spirit and not from pleasing others or what will garner me the most pats on the back. I feel like this year God has been revealing to me that there is no way to be true (to make my heart and actions line up) without Him. And I just have to trust Him through it. Trust that I can withstand and be bravely obedient, letting go of expectations and control and letting Him work in me and through me and wanting to please Him most of all. Not to gain points with Him but because He has already done so much for me that I want to worship and glorify Him through my obedience.