I finally reached out for some help this weekend. I can't do this alone, so I've finally asked for some accountability from a good friend who has shared this struggle. He offered lots of encouragement and challenges, one of which is to make sure I'm spending time in the Word every day.
So yet again, I find myself trying a new "spending time with God" plan. I am making myself take 15 minutes in the morning to read and to pray.
Today I read Matthew 1 and Isaiah 7, which is the lineage and birth of Jesus and a corresponding passage of fulfilled prophecy. I always struggle with paying attention when reading long lists of anything in the Bible, but at least today I had Andre Peterson's "Matthew's Begats" in my head to help.
The second part of the chapter was on the birth of Jesus, and the events leading up. I always think it's interesting how nonchalant the Bible makes it seem when someone is visited by an angel. As easily startled as I am, I would be terrified, but the Bible just talks about it like it is something that happens every day.
I liked the reference back to Isaiah 7:13-14, talking about how "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." In Isaiah 7, God (through Isaiah) tells this to King Ahaz when he is about to be attacked by two other nations. At first I didn't see how that was really relevant, but it dawned on me that this goes to show that Jesus birth and the redemption he brings affects everything -- he is Lord over everything, and there is no part of our lives that won't be touched by him.
The last part of my reading was from Terry Fullam that talked about the importance of the virgin birth in Jesus' maintaining his full deity and his full humanity. I get what he's talking about, but I struggle to wrap my head around big theological issues sometimes.
Prayer for the day:
God, please keep me focused on you. Help me flee temptation, and give me the discipline I need to follow you daily. Help me to realize that your love for me does not depend on how "good" I am.
