Don’t Let Circumstances Cover Your Purpose  

By Greg Sanders

Luke 2:⁴⁸ When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” ⁴⁹ “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

Mary was upset and worried to death about Jesus when they could not find Him. My obvious question is how on earth could you lose Him? Your one job is to raise Jesus, the Son of God…and you lose Him? Obviously I am picking on Mary and Joseph a little, but you get my point. When you become familiar with something or someone you can just assume they are there.

The beginning of Jesus’ life began with great fanfare for Joseph and Mary. Both received visions of visitation from angels. Both received confirmation from shepherds and wise men. Both experienced Mary giving birth even though she was a virgin. They had sign after sign and miracle after miracle. They received divine directions to move to Egypt and then later they moved back. But it’s now been close to a decade since there has been any real supernatural occurrence in their lives.

No matter how great someone’s spiritual experience, time and circumstances can cover the reality and the brightness of that moment. Circumstances and time can lesson the immediate effect those promises and experiences have on someone’s life. What you know is a huge treasure can become so familiar that you lose your awareness of the extravagant gift you have been given.

When you get married there is this phase called the honeymoon period. The honeymoon usually lasts a year and then they say reality sinks in and you have to deal with it. Megan and I have been married 15 years and I feel like we are still in the honeymoon phase. She may disagree. But any gift can become familiar no matter how great it is.

Mary and Joseph are about to close in on a decade of what most would call ordinary living. Which is not a bad thing. These first few decades would be time that Mary would treasure after the cross. But something happens in these years, the reality of Jesus being the Messiah sort of gets covered up. Not forgotten, not doubted, just covered with ordinary living. Let me challenge you in this way. Don’t let the great gift that God has placed in your life get covered up with ordinary living. Treasure the gifts that God has put in your life.

Today’s Challenge: Don’t let the ordinary blind you to the extraordinary gift that God has placed inside of you. Take an honest inventory of all of the gifts that God has placed in your life. Then begin to make sure you are stewarding those gifts in a way that brings honor to His Kingdom. Pray that God will make you aware of the great gifts He has placed in your life.

Blessings,

Greg

Todays devotion is an excerpt from a recent message at CFA. If you would like to listen to the message in its entirety look for the message titled “Treasuring Your Gifts” at www.camdenfirstassembly.org