A Christmas Love Story

Hello there!  Welcome to my blog today!  I hope that this post is an encouragement to your heart! :)

I'm very much a romantic. Always have been. Lol.  So some of my favorite Bible stories are the love story ones of course! Lol! ;)  The story of Esther and the King, the story of Ruth and Boaz etc. They never cease to make my heart happy! :)  Love - it's such a beautiful, intriguing, mysterious, inexhaustible, glorious, gift from God!  I love beautiful things. I'm fascinated by intrigue. I love a mystery. I awe at inexhaustible glory. I'm grateful for blessings from the Creator and I love the God Almighty - hence - I'm a fan of love and the ONE Who designed and IS love.  *Grin* 

All this to say - God encouraged my heart so much this week and opened my eyes to see a sweet couple from Scripture (the Bible) that I really hadn't noticed in this way before.  They are now on my top list of admired couples. #lovegoals ;) Lol!  The couple is Mary and Joseph - the earthly parents of Jesus Christ!  What a dynamic duo! I'm in awe of their lives and their love for God and for each other!  Pastor, at church on Sunday, was talking about them with a really neat perspective and God used that to speak to me on how important it is to SEEK HIM FIRST in everything and to live for an AUDIENCE of ONE! (Him alone.)  

Just think...

Mary: a virgin engaged (which was essentially married back then) to a Godly man named Joseph, is visited by an angel from God. She is told that she is highly favored and that God has chosen her to carry Jesus, the Savior of the world, in her womb.  She asks the angel how that is to come to pass, since she has known no man, and he tells her that the Holy Ghost will bring it to pass, because with Him NOTHING is impossible!  Mary answers that she is the Lord's and so be it.  Wow.  What a brave heart she was.  She put her self aside and put the Lord first!  She was a virtuous woman who counted her reputation as nothing compared to what God thought of her and desired of her. She knew it wasn't going to be a super easy situation, but she had Kingdom/eternal vision! She surrendered her earthly love with Joseph, knowing that this situation wouldn't make sense to anyone else and would seem unbelievable.  She was humble, graceful, full of faith and hope in God's promises and chose to live for an audience of One!

Joseph:  The Godly man engaged to a virtuous woman who loved God -Mary. (again, essentially married as engaged custom was back then).  He gets news one day that his beloved is with child, and that it was because of the Holy Ghost's blessing. (I imagine that he had a headache thinking that one through. I'm sure He knew that the Messiah was going to be born of a virgin, but never dreamed it would be part of his story.)  So, he decided to quietly "put her away" aka release her from their engagement/marriage. THAT fact alone says VOLUMES of the kind of man he was.  He was kind, compassionate, sensitive, and loving.  He was not going to "make a scene" of the whole situation to make him look like a victim and gain sympathy.  No - he loved Mary too much for that.)  Then he receives a vision in a dream and is told to not be afraid and to not put Mary away, but to cherish her as his wife till death do them part!  He did just that. (And THAT is major impressive to me as well!)  He was a man who trusted God's word. He was obedient.  He was selfless and put aside his own reputation as nothing compared to what God desired of him.  He had Kingdom/eternal vision!  He was full of faith in God's promises and chose to live for an audience of One!

Those individual heart desires of both Mary and Joseph, to honor God, and to put Him first in EVERYTHING, before each other and the whole world is what made them such a POWERFUL COUPLE!!!!  God, the most amazing love story designer brought them together as one to live for Him alone and to be the earthly parents of His very own Son - Jesus Christ the Savior and Redeemer of the world.  WOW. WOW. WOW.  

I want to be like that.  Living life putting God first in EVERYTHING and living for an audience of One!  The result is an INCREDIBLE experience of the deep realms of God's love and a constant and never ending new discovery of the truest of love and greatest of love stories!

Blessings to you friend!

If you're married - may God continue to bring you and your spouse closer to Him as you put Him first and closer to each other in His bounty of blessing for your marriage! May you choose His character which brings Him glory, and binds you tightly to each other like nothing else can!

If you're waiting on the Lord and single - may God draw you closer to Him through your surrender and show you His love in ways you never knew possible. May you trust His heart and live for His Kingdom! (which honors Him and your future spouse!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!!!

~Bri

Matthew Chapter 1

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

Luke Chapter 1

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.