Sages Leave your Contemplations...

I love Christmas Hymns.
I look forward every year
to singing them.

This year our family did a special.
"Angels from the Realms of Glory"
The third verse really struck me this year.

"Sages leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar,
Seek the great Desire of Nations,
Ye have seen His natal star."

By the world's standard
there have been many wise men
throughout history.

Many wise peoples and races...
many wise thoughts,
many wise observings of human nature.

But notice here
(and I know this is not God's Word)
the author says to all the wise men
leave your contemplations,
leave your great wise thoughts
because there is something much greater
than all your wise wonderings...
there is something Brighter to seek...
The Great Desire of Nations!

David said,
"I understand more than the ancients,
because I keep thy precepts."
Ps. 119:100

He realized that because he knew God's Word
he was wiser than all the ancients.

We as Christians need to remember this.
Nothing you ever read will ever be wiser than God's Word.

You might say, "Well, some of these wise men
say things that are true!"
Yep, maybe so...but I guarantee all the wisdom
they have acquired came from God.

James says, "Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the
Father of Lights, with whom
is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
James 1:17

If you come upon some great wisdom...
you got it from God whether or not
you own up to it.

Quoting Scripture or writing down
a Bible verse is far wiser
than all the wisdom
from all the wise men
from the beginning of time
until now...
and it always will be.

Close

When I look at myself
I see so much that I need to work on.
So much that I need to change.

I live by sight so often...
and not by faith.
I look at the circumstances around me...
and not at the glorified Christ.

I look at others who have it all together
and think..
I'll never measure up...
I'll never be good enough...
I'll never hear the words,
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant"

There's so many things...
I can't even remember them all
to pray for them.
I get caught up in trying to pray
for them all...
in trying to be good every day...

But when I look at Him
all I want is to be close to Him.
I don't want to worry about
all those things that I can't
ever seem to fix.
I just want to be surrounded
by His love...
to be lost in His Presence.

My prayer these days?
"Lord, help me to stay close to you.
That's all I want...
to be close!"

And I know that if I'm close to Him,
everything else will fall into place.

The most important thing
is not if I'm good enough...
I'm not and never will be.

The most important thing is...
being close to Him

Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace

"Seeing then that we have a great high priest,
that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God,
let us hold fast our profession.
For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help 
in time of need." Heb. 4:14-16

You know what I've noticed about myself?

That when I'm being a good girl...
You know...praying like I'm supposed to...
staying in God's Word...
not being negative...
not doubting...

When I'm being good and doing
the things I should be doing
then, I come boldly to the throne of grace.

But when I'm struggling...
not reading like I should...
not working at being close to Him...
struggling with doubt...
full of shame...

I'm not as ready to come 
boldly to the throne of grace.
Why is that?

Because I'm looking at it all wrong.

I'm not to come "boldly" to the throne of grace
because of who I am...
because of how good a girl I've been...
because of all the good things I've done today...

I can come "boldly" to the throne of grace
because of who He is...
because of how good He is...
because of what He has done!

So during those times of self doubt and shame...
I can still come boldly to the throne of grace!
That's why Christ
died...
to make peace between me and God.
And nothing I ever do will ever add to that!

It's never been about me...
It's always and forever been about Him!