"Yielded at Last"

 "Many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him." (John 11:45 KJV)

  "We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything." (2 Corinthians 6:8-10 NLT)

 Don't ask me how I did, because I don't think I stayed still! I held back as long as I could, but by 3:00 in the afternoon, I figured out a way to try and cover all of the items that were going to come through the bank that day, including a $3,000 IRS installment. Sorry if I didn't feel like leaping off the cliff, but I am still trying the best I can to provide for the people who work for me. 

 That said, I don't feel as though I did anything wrong, besides wasting the money that I probably paid in NSF fees; at least somebody gets blessed by my mismanagement of money. If the bank gives me the chance to use my overdraft privileges, in a pinch, I am going to use them! Go ahead and call me a sinner, I deserve it! 

 Let me tell you something else, far greater, about my day. I had a chance to pray for someone yesterday, as I heard God tell me to, and I immediately ask him, "Can I pray with you?" He looked as though he was relieved, as if he had been waiting for a brother in the Lord to ask him that. As I started praying, I did not realize it at the time, but I kept saying, "We," as if there were two praying for him. 

 As I drove off, I suddenly started to realize what I had said, wondering what he might have thought, thinking if maybe it might have seemed weird of something that I kept saying "We." But then I felt the Holy Spirit within me, in a very audible voice, say, "I am with you always!" 

 Anywho; this verse we have before us today, although it is short and sweet, it contains a lot of distance and a powerful punch; so much so, that you cannot contain the power that is being illustrated within it. John does well to point out, "Many," instead of saying, 'Some, ' or even saying, 'All.' Many of those which came to Mary, actually came to honestly comfort her in her time of grief. Some of those who came, were just mourners' that came as if they were doing their part, or even being paid by friends or family members. 

 Matthew Henry points this out, by saying, "When we are doing good offices to others we put ourselves in the way of receiving favours from God, and have opportunities of getting good when we are doing good." Basically, it is God that softens the heart to allow us to see the wonderful work that He is doing; it is God that calls sinners to the throne of Grace! 

 If we are truly wanting to do good, even if we might not even know what we are doing, He will open the eyes of our heart to see Him more clearly. That, my dear brothers and sisters, goes much further than we will ever really know...

 "That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said, "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." 

 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others - the armies of Heaven - praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased." When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 

 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and though about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them." (Luke 2:8-20 NLT)