"Scandal of Particularity"

Today could be the day...it could be the day when you lose your job, your hair or your way. It could be the day when the week is longer than the paycheck, the aggravation is longer than the patience, and the waist is bigger than the waistband.

Or it could be the day when the Lord of Glory steps out onto the portals of heaven and with the sound of the shofar calls us home to be with Him.

There is a "theological" term, "scandal of particularity," that I find intriguing. The term is referring to the belief that Christians have of God's coming to earth as a human baby born to a virgin at a time when the world was in chaos. The Bible refers to the event happening "in the fullness of time." At a "particular" time, in a "particular" place, to a "particular" woman, for a "particular" purpose, this absurd birth happened. How could the God of Heaven stoop so low as to become one of us?

There will be another "fullness of time," another "particularity" that will come to humankind, and, according to the signs, it won't be long. Jesus IS coming to earth again, only this time, He will NOT come as a human baby, but as the Kings of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He will come as the Conquerer once and for all defeating death, hell and the grave.

Christmas is not just for remembering that He came once but also knowing and anticipating that He will come again for those who wait and watch for Him.

"The strength of the Lord is my joy"

Yes, you heard the title right: "The strength of the Lord is my joy." I know that the Scripture says, "The joy of the Lord is my strength." I understand the need for strength, but sometimes even knowing where my strength comes from, that is from "the joy of the Lord," I have no strength. Sometimes putting one foot in front of the other is a challenge. Maybe the Scripture isn't talking about physical strength, but I suspect it is, at least partially. The Lord's joy is a spiritual joy, so maybe the strength is a spiritual too.

Sometimes I have no physical strength because my hemoglobin is below 9 and I just need a Procrit shot! Sometimes it is spiritual strength; it is then I need the Holy Spirit to do His work in me.

Joy, however, is a choice. But where does it come from? --- this "WILL TO JOY"? It comes from knowing the One who gives the joy is the Lion of Judah. He is the strong and everlasting King of Glory. He holds all things together by the power of His Word. He is and will be the Great and Final Champion. If we do not chose to "joy," we in essence are rejecting Him--He who is the source of joy and of life and of love.