Luke 2:39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.

It’s interesting that Luke completely skips over the magi and the escape to Egypt. It’s quite possible he didn’t consider it that germane to the story, or even that Mary forgot to mention it when he was interviewing her for this Gospel. In any case, the point of this verse is that Joseph and Mary did everything called for in the Law, just as Jesus said that He hadn’t come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) We need to remember that everything God tells us to do has a good purpose, and we will be blessed in the doing. The loss of a Sabbath rest for the vast majority of society is a huge loss indeed, leading to burnout, misplaced priorities, and even mental illness. Some of the OT laws were for that time and those circumstances. I am personally very thankful to not have to abstain from shellfish, but in the time of the Exodus and even much later, only people who lived on the shores of the sea could eat them safely, because there was no refrigeration, and no understanding of breeding cycles. Even today we need to be very careful of such things. I had a cousin die from eating oysters in August. The irony is, he was a biologist! The point is, we need to go by the rule book, unless the Lord makes it clear there’s to be an exception, such as when He gave Peter the vision of “unclean” animals and told him to “kill and eat.” (Acts 10) The final answer is that God’s rules are for our good, and we need to remember it.

I have written many times about my struggles with spiritual pride. One manifestation of that is thinking you are “above” the rules. Politicians certainly seem to fall prey to that! It is even sadder when church leaders get tripped up by it. I have seen too many anointed people trash their ministry with that attitude, including some close to me. Like Paul, I don’t want to admonish others and then fall short myself! (1 Corinthians 9:27) Right now, with what seems to be a goodly case of influenza, I am very aware of my physical limitations, and pride doesn’t seem to be in the picture. Praise God! In God’s gracious timing, all I have to do today is draw up the January Scripture list, since this coming Sunday is just singing and testimonies. I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in my Lord, just as He has told me to do, whatever my body feels like, and leave the results up to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that I could be “upright” to talk to the man from the company that will be painting our roof and walls next month. I pray that we would be agreed on such things as colors, and that the finished result would be fully attractive to draw more people in. May we recognize what You want us doing when, and do it with joy and laughter, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!