Matthew 1:22-23 “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means God with us).”
Luke 1:17 “And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and Power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous -- to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
When guests come over to our house there is usually a bit of effort to make the house ready before they arrive. Due to our busy schedules, sometimes our weekly chores get neglected, and if so, there is an all-out clean-up to make the house ready for guests! Just like our homes, there are times that our hearts need to be prepared as well!
James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
In times like this it helps to laugh. One of my favorite comedy moments is in the 2004 remake of Starsky and Hutch. In this scene, Ben Stiller plays the role of David Starsky and in one hilarious scene he repeatedly says, “Do it, Do it.” As Jesus finishes his sermon on the mount in Matthew 7, he gives us a similar message.
Matthew 7:1-2 “Do not Judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you.”