The Good Stuff

Blessed Christmas everyone! :)

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift, Jesus Christ :)

It's been more than a year since I started working as a nurse in a mental institution. Tomorrow will be our deliberation day where the theme is "Who will stay?"
My contract will come to an end in less than a week and the outcome of tomorrow's deliberation will finalize whether I will stay and be a regular employee or I will bid the mental institution goodbye.
I still don't know whether I'm for this and I haven't heard from God about it or I just "refuse" to listen.
I don't know but I'm not very anxious about tomorrow. I know that whatever the result may be, it is willed and permitted by God. Nothing I can do to stop what He planned for my life.

In my devotion tonight in Luke 1, it's about Zechariah seeing an angel of the Lord on his duty as a priest in the temple. Zechariah was chosen by lot to go into the Temple to burn incense. A quick background: Zechariah was a priest and Elizabeth was his wife. They were both upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in years. When the angel appeared before Zechariah's eyes, the emotion he first felt was fear for the angel may bring good news or bad news. Then the angel assured him to not be afraid for his prayer has been answered. His wife Elizabeth will bear a son who "will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:14-17). What a great promise that is! It's a sure deal because an angel of the Lord delivered the news. 

But Zechariah doubted and asked "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." In reply, the angel said "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time."

A promise was told, the recipient doubted, he was silenced, the promise was fulfilled. 

Our doubts cannot change what God has planned. When God gives us a promise, it is not to give Him permission to fulfill it or not but to change our heart. It is a privilege to be a witness of God's good promises but when we start to doubt them and God, the joy in being involved in that promise is lost. Yes, the promise will happen but our hearts will remain unchanged.

In the case of Zechariah, he was silenced. for 9 months he couldn't proclaim or share his joy in words with people. The privilege to shout God's goodness to people was taken away from him because he doubted. Let us not waste the opportunity to take part in God's promise. 

I doubted God's good promises most of the time because I fear disappointment but it's God we're talking about here. Just who am I to doubt God? Who am I to demand things from God? Who is God?

Never doubt what God has told you even when the promise seems impossible because we serve the God of impossibilities. 

Who is God to you?

Let God be God. Not just a Sunday God, a Genie, a Busy Father, or an Old Gramp. He is God and He is bigger than what we can imagine, He is immeasurable and indescribable., the Alpha and Omega, the Creator.
 
To be honest, I don't know if God has already given an answer whether I stay or not in my present job but one thing's for sure, He is God. 

Never doubt God's love for you. If the Cross isn't enough to convince you of His love, what would?
Christmas is not just about happy carolers and giving gifts. We have Christmas because Jesus, the Son of God, was born into this world to redeem us.
Jesus gave up His life to save you, what else would He withhold from you? God desires what's best for you. The best may not be what we initially want but it's the best. And if you have Jesus in your life, what else do you lack? Nothing.