Christmas Novena December 16, 2014

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Matthew, Chapter 21, verse 46:
46 And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

They feared the crowds because of Jesus and John the Baptist.  Fear is a natural reaction: when we fear something we naturally do one of five things.   We either: fight, run away, do nothing, compromise or grow make things better.  The entire bible is filled with stories of people making good and bad choices.  Some of people’s choices were righteous and some were evil and through it all it was the spirit of God that urged men to make choices that promoted growth in humankind; to create a Kingdom of God on earth.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus were marked by the priests and elders for death because they threatened their power over the people which they feared.  Like savage beasts they killed anything that got in their way.

According to John Maxwell[1] leaders lose their right to selfishness and must take the lives of others into account before their own.  They must testify to the truth and tell people what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear.  They must tell people where they have to go to promote the Kingdom and not where they desire to go.

Christ came not only to restore the Israelite s but to bring all of mankind into His Kingdom.  Leaders in the Christ's Kingdom must fearlessly lead from principle rather than from reaction.

It is nine days before Christmas.  Today start a Christmas novena with your family or someone you love.


[1] John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership Bible, p 1072-1073.

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