Last week I preached on the lives of Joseph and Mary.  At our Christmas Candlelight program on December 23 I am speaking more specifically on Mary.  As a result of this teaching I have been reading the Biblical story over and over.  Without a doubt my favorite line in the Christmas story comes from the lips of Mary.

An angel appears to Mary and tells her she is going to have a baby.  When the angel appears she is troubled at his words.  She is then told that this boy will be named Jesus and he will be called the Son of God.

She inquires further about how this can happen since she is a virgin.  The angel tells her of the power of God on her and also on her elderly relative Elizabeth to give them both children.  Then the angel delivers this closing line.  “For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37)

With these words still hanging in the air Mary says this one powerful line.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.                 Luke 1:38 (NIV)

Mary shows us in one line what it means to be a follower of God.  She displays a total surrender to God’s will.

What if, as you went into the New Year, God placed a burden on your heart to start a new ministry?  What if you felt compelled to get more involved in the Church?  What if God called you toward Bible College or full time ministry?  What if you envisioned the mission field in your future? What if?

What would you do?   What would I do?

One requirement to following God is a willingness to allow him to lead us.  Mary’s future was unknown because she was busy keeping her eyes focused on following God.  Then when he asked something of her, she was ready.

Will we be ready?

I have been continuing work on my sermons in the series “The Nativity Set.”  While reading and researching I ran across something I had never heard before.  The article was about problems in preaching the Christmas story and the second point was about there being no room in the inn.

I thought you might enjoy a little learning today.

First, the problem Joseph and Mary encountered during their stay in Bethlehem wasn’t a lack of room in the inn. While most English versions still translate the Greek term katalyma as “inn” (Luke 2:7), the only other two occurrences of the word in the New Testament refer to a guest room where Jesus and his disciples shared a Passover meal (Mark 14:14; Luke 22:11). Kenneth Bailey rightly asks, “If at the end of Luke’s Gospel the word katalyma means a guest room attached to a private home (22:11), why would it not have the same meaning near the beginning of his Gospel?”

Assuming Joseph was relying on the hospitality of a friend in Bethlehem whose guest room was already taken, what was the alternative? The placement of Jesus in a manger suggests he was born in a stable near the place of lodging, or even in a cave. But there’s another alternative. Since the guest room was full, Joseph and Mary likely stayed in the family room with everyone else. It wasn’t uncommon for animals to stay in the house, since they provided heat in winter and were protected from theft.

Perhaps this seems like much ado about nothing, since any scenario—cave, stable, or family room with animals—reflects the humble circumstances in which Jesus was born. Yet getting the details right can keep us from turning the storyline into something untrue—a story of rejection or a harsh innkeeper or an incompetent husband who didn’t account for a crowded inn. It is the “normalness” of the birth that is so striking. The irony is the King of kings had an ordinary birth in humble circumstances.

Through the years I have watched the development of my children with great curiosity.  With each new step in their growth I have seen changes in their actions that are interesting.  Many of their transitions parallel the spiritual growth people experience.

Stage One – Feed Me.  Those early years are hard because children need you to do everything for them.

Stage Two – Feed Yourself.  With age comes independence.  It begins by placing a prepared plate in front of a child and letting them use their fork and spoon.  Eventually it moves to greater responsibility.  My children are now old enough that I can tell them to cook themselves an egg if they are hungry.  They can make their own sandwich.  Sure, I am still helping out, but soon they will leave my house (hopefully) and they will assume 100% responsibility to feed themselves.

Stage Three – Feed Others.  I know that in the future they will each get married and start their own family.  They will assume responsibility for one another.  They will have guests into their home.  Then one day they will have little mouths to feed.

These developments physically seem very natural and we would actually be very concerned if they did not happen.  Yet, spiritually speaking, I see this development less and less.  In fact, I hear people all the time saying, “I just need to be fed.”  Usually this means I want to sit in worship and not get involved.  It means we want to attend a small group and not lead one.  It  means that I will let someone else assume responsibility for my development.

A huge part of both natural and spiritual development is the ever increasing ability to take care of myself and others.  Adult children sitting in a high chair while their mom “makes the airplane spoon circle the runway until it lands in the hanger” is a tragic and painful sight.  It is equally tragic that people who have been Christians for years have no clue how to read their Bible, discover what it means, apply it to their life and then teach it to someone else.

So let me ask you a couple questions:

Are you dependent on other people to teach you about a life of faith and developing a Biblical knowledge?

Are you teaching anyone else what you are learning?   Who is depending on you until they grow enough to feed themselves?

I am told that several years ago Andy Stanley and the leaders of Northpoint Church did a series of surveys to find out the biggest factor for spiritual growth. After collecting the surveys they began to group the responses into categories. In the end they came up with five different things that God uses to grow our faith. I found these to be helpful and enlightening.

God uses:

1. Practical Teaching – We grow when we hear God’s word explained in a way that we understand and can apply it.

2. Providential Relationships – God will frequently bring people into our lives that influence us for growth.

3. Private Disciplines – Growth happens when we apply dedicate ourselves to prayer, bible reading, giving and fasting.

4. Personal Ministry – When we step up and serve we grow because we are stretching our faith. Being involved in some form of Christian service helps us grow in Jesus.

5. Pivotal Circumstances – Sometimes our growth happens because we are in the right place at the right time. This might be something from a conversation to a mission trip to a work encounter. Something just happened that we often can’t explain.

Through my years of ministry I have found these to be true for dozens of people.

So what is God using to grow your faith? Are you open to the possibility that He might have something greater in store for you today and this coming year?

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I have no idea what I am doing.  I mean that.  I have hopes and dreams about what might work, but I am never really sure.

• I have no idea if my efforts will succeed.
• I have no idea if this will turn out the way I hope.
• I have no idea if this will help or hurt what I am trying to accomplish.
• I have no idea if the sermon is going to be good until it is finished.
• I have no idea if the youth lesson is going to connect until it is over.
• I have no idea how to raise my children to be all that God wants them to be.
• I have no idea what the best actions are to build my marriage.
• I have no idea if people will like this blog.

I really have no idea.

BUT – that does not mean that I quit doing.

I still preach and teach.  I still lead and love.  I still try and work.

As I follower of Jesus and a member of a Church I have learned a few things.

1. You never know what God will bless. I am shocked by what activities have succeeded.
2. What worked for someone else may not work for me (and vice verse).
3. Every situation is unique and God has a unique plan. I especially see this in my own children.
4. It’s okay to fail when trying to do something meaningful. Why be a success at something that no one really cares about?
5. Failure is hard to define by long term definitions. My life has often been touched by people through just a word or statement they never thought important.

Faith is not just a set of things we believe.  It is sometimes about believing that God will work through my lousy efforts.  That He will show up and use my energy to have an impact.  Even if I have no idea what I am doing.

Scribbled on a small piece of paper in my notebook was written a single line – “Faith is hard work.”

You need to know that it was written during a difficult time.  For me it was one of those times that has been called “a dark night of the soul.” My schedule had been busy.  Things at Church were rocky.  People were being difficult.  Plans were not working out.  Family life was less than perfect.  There was this darkness that seemed to surround my life that was not letting the light in.

These are the times that some people quit their faith.  Some people just stand up and say, “I’m done” and walk away.  Most people are far more subtle.  They attend less frequently.  They avoid contact with believers and slowly drift away without a word of warning.

I completely understand that life is full of difficult experiences that push us to our spiritual limit.  In those moments it is easier to drift away than to fight for faith.  It is easier to find an excuse to quit.  It is far easier to blame other people for their failures and walk away.   That way no one will know the struggle of my own soul.

Those are the decisions most people make.

There is another choice though.  You could fight for your faith.

You could pray for help and guidance.  A simple “God get me through this” will often work.

You could tell other people you are struggling.  This is really hard.  Could you ever let down your guard and tell people you are not perfect in your faith?

You could ask other people to pray for you.  You do not have to fight your spiritual struggles alone.

You could draw closer to faith instead of push away.   Intentionally attend Church more.  Read your Bible more.  Spend more time with believers.  Show up early and linger longer.  Decide to draw close instead of hide.

You could visit with a “senior saint.”  Ask them to share their story of faith.  Quite often they have been through great struggles and their faith survived.  Let them encourage you.

You could take the time to serve other people.  Get out of your own head and help someone.

There are other things I could suggest to you but I can boil them all down into one simple statement.  Faith is hard work.  In order to keep your faith there is something that you can do – but you will have to do something.  It takes an effort to remain a faithful follower of God and nothing less.

I do not know the original author of this but it still bears repeating.  I think I wrote down this version from a Christmas card.

If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness,
So God sent us a Savior.

Honestly, you don’t need this.

You don’t need to read another blog.  You don’t need to read another book.  You don’t need to read another magazine article.  You don’t need another Facebook post to “like.”

You don’t need to spend hours on the internet.  You don’t need to post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter everyday.  You don’t need to watch TV.  You don’t need to see another sporting event of any kind.  You don’t need to watch another movie, listen to another song or radio broadcast.

What you need to do.

You need to read your Bible.  You need to say a prayer.  You need to walk across the street and visit a lonely neighbor.  You need to attend Church this week.  You need to clear up your calendar of selfish activities.  You need to take your children out of activities and eat dinner with them and ask about their faith.

You need to stop talking and start doing.

You need to say one time, “God I will do anything you lead me to do” and mean it.  Even if you have to change your calendar, drop some activities and do something difficult.

You need to stop thinking about faith and start acting.   Real faith exists in your head but it makes its way into your actions.  We need to stop being deceived into the concept that faith is all about what we believe.  Faith is about the actions of your life based on what you believe.

So close this blog.  Shut down your phone or computer and go do something that shows the world what you really believe about God.

My mind is filled with incomplete thoughts.

I keep files on my computer and phone that help me track my thinking.  Right now I have 66 blog ideas that range from 3 words to 3 sentences.   I also have a file with 6 posts that are more than halfway finished.  These contain a paragraph or more of some idea I had one day.   Some of these ideas may take years to reach completion.

I have other files that are directly connected to my sermons.  I keep a file of illustration stories that I live and that I read which I might one day use.  I have file of sermon topics and titles that I would like to preach.  Still yet one more file of sermon graphics from other churches that caught my attention and I might use.

I use an app called Evernote and I have used Microsoft’s One Note program.  I use the notepad app on my phone as well.  My favorite thing is to keep an old fashioned clip board with me where I hand write ideas.  Later I transfer them to some type of file so that the idea does not get lost.

You see I live with a firm conviction that God might try to speak to me anywhere.  I don’t mean that I hear audible voices.  I mean God often speaks to me through conversations, through TV commercials, movies, songs, books, articles and events.  I am continually trying to learn about how God touches my life and how he can use me impact other people.  I think God most often speaks to me through natural means.

I also believe that God is trying to speak to you.  He is trying to mold you and shape you through the events, circumstances and conversations that you are involved in each day.

What if today you listened for God to say something to you in a subtle way?

What would happened if you listened closely to everything going on around you and asked yourself, “What are you teaching me God?”

As I get older my physical hearing gets worse every year but my spiritual hearing gets more acute.

Be careful that you do not grow deaf to the voice of God in your everyday life.