Diary of a Gentile Woman Living in Bethlehem-Dec 22nd

Dear Diary,

Today was a perplexing day. It was filled with both happiness and confusion for me. As I spoke of yesterday, we traveled to Jerusalem. Of course, we woke really early to make the trip. It is a 6 mile journey on foot. So we set out before the sun rose to get there in plenty of time for temple worship and the other items planned for the day.

Once we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the busy market area. There were men and women selling all types of items along the market area. I love walking through that area. You can find just about anything you are looking for at the Jerusalem market. Myself, I always look for new beads to use in my stringing. Today I found some beautiful colors, which I just couldn't resist. I used some of the money I had been saving to buy some beautiful sky blue beads.

The market place is the hub of activity. It is not only the area to be if you are looking to buy or sell, but it is the place to gather. Many people come to the market area and spend all day immersed in conversation. I don't think I've ever heard so many conversations going on in one place in my life. There were people talking about just about everything you can imagine. Except one thing. It stuck me odd that in my little town of Bethlehem, the buzz is all about the Messiah prophecies lately but here I didn't hear anything spoke about them.

Seems so strange that in the main city of Jerusalem they are either unaware of the prophecies or simply just don't care. Hearing them spoke about so frequently lately in Bethlehem, I was sure that it would be all anyone was talking about here. I wonder, have they forgotten the scriptures about the Messiah?

After the trip through the market, I took a little time away from the family. They were going to visit relatives so I excused myself and headed over to the temple.

What a beauty to behold. Each time I approach the temple, I loose my breath. It is truly a work of art. Can you imagine what the real temple in heaven looks like? If God could create such a place here on earth, just imagine where he lives.

I spent the majority of the day at the temple. I just feel closer to Him there. His glory seems to be there. I am awed by it.

After the long trip back, I am exhausted. Tonight, I will dream good dreams. Probably ones about the heaven that awaits. At least I hope it awaits me. I know I am not one of the chosen ones, but I love God with all my heart. Doesn't that count for something? Sure wish someone could tell me...

To tired to think about it all right now. Sleep, I need sleep.

Good night. See you tomorrow.

Diary of a Gentile Woman Living in Bethlehem - Dec 21st

Dear Diary,

As I went to town today, I encountered the strangest thing. There on the lawn in the main court of the square sitting under the big oak tree was a Rabbi. We usually don't see much of the priesthood here. But there he was with his pupils sitting with him. He seemed to be teaching them scripture.

This census has brought all kinds of people here lately. Well, you know me, always curious. I had to hear what they were talking about. Of course, being a woman is bad enough, but being a gentile makes it impossible for me to just walk right up to them. So I circled around behind them and sat behind a tree not far from where they were. I pretended to be engrossed in some beading but I had my ears perked up to full alert.

What do you think they were talking about? The Messiah! Sure seems the topic of conversation around here lately. The Rabbi was discussing who the Messiah would descend from.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

The Rabbi was telling his students that the Messiah would be a descendant of Judah. How amazing, he will not only be born in Bethlehem as Micah prophesied but the scriptures also tell us he will be from Judah. Of course, Bethlehem is part of Judah so that would make sense.

"Behold, the days are coming" says the Lord. That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The Rabbi quoted this text and explained that the Messiah was promised to come from the line of David. A King will reign from the descendant of David. The prophet Jeremiah spoke about this.

I am fascinated by the scriptures. If they would allow a woman like myself to study under the Rabbi, I would be so happy. I know you have to leave your home and spend your time following in the Rabbi's footsteps but it would be worth it to hear the scriptures all day long. I would never be allowed to do that though. A girl can dream though.

The best I can get is the women’s court at the temple. It’s all I can have so I cherish every second I am allowed to spend there. As a matter of fact, tomorrow we are taking the trip to Jerusalem. I will spend time at the temple while I am there. I can't wait. It's a long trip so I better go for now so I can get my rest. Like I will get much sleep! Oh well, I am going to try.

Good night, I’ll see you tomorrow.

Diary of a Gentile Woman Living in Bethlehem- Dec 20th

Dear Diary,

Sorry I didn't get to write yesterday. I know I said I would but yesterday was the Sabbath. If you know anything about the Sabbath, you know that there is no work allowed. It's a day of rest, so even writing was out of the question. I wasn't thinking about it being the Sabbath when I promised to write.

Anyway, as I said, yesterday was the Sabbath, so I spent a very restful day with the family. Today however, was anything but restful. With the amount of people pouring into the city for the census, it makes getting anything done much more difficult.

As usual, I woke early this morning before the sun rose. Just as my mother before me, I work in the house of a prominent Jewish family here in Bethlehem. There is much to do for this large family, so I like to get an early start.

I have loved working for the family. Even though others think of me as an outsider, they have always treated me with love and respect. The woman of the house is the one I see most often because her husband is off in Jerusalem for long stints. He is a man of great prominence among all the other Pharisees. He seems to take great pride in his work, which can keep him away from home for many days at a time. I am sure his work is of great importance.

Today, while shaking out the rugs in the front of the house I saw a man approach the stables. He seemed to be looking for the master of the house. He looked rather official to me. The thought crossed my mind that he might have been sent by King Herod himself.

Now that is a man that sends shivers down my spine. King Herod, I mean. He is the most horrifically wicked man. Cruel beyond measure. I sure hope that wasn't who sent the man who visited today. We don't need any trouble around here.

I know I am not a descendant of Abraham but what affects this family, effects me. Thinking about the cruelty of King Herod makes me think about the words of the prophet Isaiah. I think it was called 59:16.

He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him.

I think about this prophecy and wonder when it will be that God sends His Messiah, the King of the Jews to intercede for them. From all that I have heard living here with the Jews, they believe God is going to send them a King that will overcome the Roman rule. He will be the one that comes and intercedes for them and saves them.

As far as I am concerned, now would be as good a time as any. With Herod on the throne and all, I join them in saying Come Messiah, Come!

More tomorrow....

Diary of a Gentile Woman living in Bethlehem

Dear Diary,

It's year one, day seven BC. Me, I'm a gentile woman living in the small town of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is nestled on a ridge, between two mountain peaks, just 5 or 6 miles due south of Jerusalem. I have lived here on this ridge for forty seven years, which if you’re counting is all my life. Usually, our small city is a quiet, peaceful place. Except lately, not so quiet around here.

The city is buzzing right now with all the Jews returning to their ancestral cities to register for the census. Seems like every room around here is filling up with travelers. Shopping has become a long chore lately too, with all the people pouring in town. If I didn't already feel like an outsider before, I certainly do now. You see, I am a gentile woman living in a mostly Jewish community.

Although, I have lived here all my life, followed their God and Jewish law, they still don't consider me one of them. I am an outcast, a foreigner, a stranger in my own home. I wish it were different, that I could be accepted but I am not. I am not one of them, no matter what I believe.

Lately, the Jewish Pharisees have been standing out on the corner preaching the law. It's only to show their power and superiority but they do it so convincingly. Problem is they just keep adding more and more to the rules. Who can live up to and follow all of them.

I try, believe me I do. Even though I am a gentile living a Jewish community, I believe their God is the one and only. So I try and live to the letter of the law. But it is overwhelming at times.

Not sure what good it will do for them to count all the Jews in this census. Caesar has already imposed his Roman rule over us, why the census? Anyway, it sure has made the city a busy place to be.

Just today, in the center square I saw two shepherds sitting on the grass under a tree. Usually, they are out on the mountain with their herds. As I got a little closer, I realized they were not from around here. Hence them being in the center square like they were.

I heard just a snippet of their conversation and it caught my interest. So I moved in closer so I could hear them without being obvious. They were talking about the Messiah. One man was quoting scripture about the coming Messiah to the other.

It's not like I haven't heard the prophecies before. I've heard them since birth. Although I've heard them over and over, the funny thing is, they never stop fascinating me. I could hear them a million times but still want to hear them again. So I stayed a while, ease dropping, as these two men went through all the prophecies of the coming Messiah.

As I left, there was one that stuck in my mind and it kept rolling around in my head. It was from the prophet Micah. One of the men said something about the numbers 5 and 2. I'm not sure what the numbers meant. Anyway, I quoted it all the way home.

"But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet you shall come forth the Me, the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose going forth are from of old, from everlasting."

This prophecy always stands out to me because it talks about my little city, Bethlehem. I wonder, will my city really have something to do with the Messiah? Seems unlikely, but who knows... Never say never.

Gotta go for now, I've got chores to do. Have a great day. I'll see you tomorrow.

The Value of a Personal Relationship

My last post we looked at the purpose for life that Jesus gives us when we decide to follow him. Today let’s look a little further and see just how personal God can be. If there was anything that stood out about our disciple Andrew, it was that he knew the value of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

John 6:8-9 - One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him. "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"

John 12:21-22 - Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

In both of these encounters, Andrew does what? He brings the matter and the person to Jesus. He knew what they needed was Jesus himself. Andrew knew better than anyone the solution to life’s dilemmas, it was in approaching Jesus.

It was not in Andrews hands to change circumstances, but he knew that if he brought them to Jesus, they would hear the truth and their problems would be solved through their belief in Him. Andrew brought people to the savior so they could meet Him for themselves. He knew the answers all lay in developing a relationship with God. The same applies today for us.

Personal relationship? How is it possible for us to have a personal relationship with Jesus when He is no longer on this earth? The disciples had a personal relationship with Jesus while they were with Him here on earth, but what about now? How does that work now when we can’t see Him with our eyes?

Some people are a bit skeptical when you start talking about Christ living inside you and having a daily relationship with Him. From the point of view of some, Jesus is dead and gone. So how can he live in us and guide us?

Jesus did die on the cross and was buried, but He is far from dead. We see clearly in John 20 that He rose from the grave on the third day. He is now in heaven but he promised to leave us something when He left.

Acts 1:4-5 - And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Acts 1:8 - "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

They, like us were promised the Holy Spirit. It would come upon them and fill them, giving them power to be witnesses. When we choose to follow Jesus we are given the Holy Spirit to live within us. This is the Spirit Jesus is speaking of. It is through the Spirit that we are guided and are able to maintain a personal relationship with God even though we can not see Him with our eyes.

Acts 2:1-4 - When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

It was Pentecost, a holy day of rememberance and a day these believers would never forget. The sound came from heaven. Imagine that... your sitting there and a power so forceful that it sounded like rushing wind comes down from heaven and fills the whole house. Picture that in your mind.

Then divided tongues that look like fire sit on you and you begin to speak in a language you have never spoken before. Not a heavenly language but a foreign language. If you read on in Acts 2:5-12, you see the reaction of everyone around that heard them. The multitude came together and each one heard in his own language. They were all amazed and perplexed. Well, I imagine so! I would be amazed and perplexed if that happened right before my eyes.

What do you think, do you believe the Holy Spirit has power?

When we choose to follow Jesus Christ, accepting Him as our Savior, we are filled with that same Spirit described here. Although, you may not speak in foreign tongues, the power contained in the Holy Spirit lives within you. It empowers us to live a life for Jesus Christ, but only if we are yielded to it. Here in lies the value of personal relationship.

We are required to be in daily relationship through prayer and reading of the word of God. The Word of God is living and breathing. The Holy Spirit uses it to communicate the will of the Father God to us. Prayer is communication, a two way conversation between you and God. These things are the way we keep our personal relationship with God alive and growing.

Let me give you a little wisdom from my own personal experience. After re-committing my life to Christ, I struggled with my thinking. It seemed like everything I thought, was wrong. I began to feel like, if I just did the opposite of what I thought, it would probably be what God wanted.

Soon after, I began to be convicted about my time I spent with Christ. I would read my bible here and there but not consistently. When I did read my bible, it was as if I was checking it off a list when I was done. I found no enjoyment in it. It was a duty not an enjoyment to me.

Prayer also was difficult. I would cursory thank Him for saving me and then move on to my list of wants. When I was finished telling Him what I wanted Him to do, the prayer was over. Task complete, on with the day.

As conviction set in, I knew that I should do more than this. I knew that God required more from me but my heart wasn’t in it. I had no love in my heart for His Word and frankly, I wasn’t sure that I really loved Him. At least not like I was suppose to.

Mark 12:30 - And you shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, with all your soul, with all you mind and with all your strength.

I began to ponder on this verse. Did I love God with all my heart and soul? What about my mind and strength? Did I really love God like that?

The answer was no, not with ALL my heart and soul. If I did, I would love to spend time with Him in his word and prayer. My mind was not filled with loving Him and I certainly didn’t use all my strength to love Him. I instead was filled with ME. My ways filled my heart, soul, mind and strength.

I needed this to change but how do you draw closer in relationship with God? How do you change your heart?

The answer is, you don’t. He does.

I began to ask for Him to build that love in me. Then I did what He asked even when I didn’t feel like it. I set a time to read His word and pray.

Soon after, words, His words would leap off the page as I read. He was showing me who He was and in the process I fell hard. Deeper, deeper still I fell as I read and prayed to Him. A love was building in me for Him. A love that I did not create but that I would die for now. Oh, how I love Him now. With a love that would move mountains to be with Him.

When you take the time to get to know Him, He will show you personally how much you mean to Him. It will rock your world and you will never be the same again.

What better time to end in prayer….

I don't know where your heart is, but if it's like mine was, now is as good as time as any to ask for a change.