I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
An Obscure King
Have you ever felt forgotten? Unnoticed? Unimportant?
You’re not alone.
When Jesus was born, He entered into human history in one of the smallest towns in all of Israel. There wasn’t even any room for his pregnant mother in the house, so he was born in a stable next to animals.
This was such a stark contrast to Israel’s current king—Herod, who lived in massive palaces and flaunted his wealth. While Herod was living in splendor, the King of all the universe was being born in the humblest of settings and humblest of towns.
But this obscurity brings us hope. Why? Because it shows us the example that He set for us from the beginning.
The Kingdom of God has always been upside-down compared to the culture of the world. Humility instead of grandeur. Serving instead of ruling. Giving instead of acquiring. God showed us the way His Kingdom works by bringing something great out of something small. That’s what this verse reminds us of:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Micah 5:2 NIV
Though you are small, out of you will come one who will be ruler over Israel.
Wealth and status aren’t measurements for success in God’s Kingdom. Being part of the Kingdom of God is about trusting that God is writing the story. It’s about remembering that the Kingdom of God has never been like the kingdoms of this world. And it’s also about remembering that, out of small beginnings, God can do great things.
His Pain, Our Gain
Isaiah 53 is a stunning chapter in the Bible—in what is now commonly referred to as the “Old Testament.”
Approximately 700 years before Jesus walked the earth, Isaiah prophesied about a suffering servant who would also, somehow and in some way, be exalted. A coming Savior, a future Redeemer, the long-awaited Messiah—whose death would ultimately bring life.
A portion of Isaiah 53 says this:
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 NIV
So, who was this man who would be pierced, crushed, and wounded because of someone else’s sins? Whose undeserved punishment would be the catalyst for healing? Whose life would be given as an offering—so that others might live?
Jesus Christ not only fits the description of the suffering servant who paid the ultimate price to buy His people back, redeem them, and set them free—He ...
“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge...
