Welcome to Tuesday, January 8th, 2019!!! We are one week into 2019!
It seems that with each passing year, I find my self reflecting not on just the last year, but on the totality of life. I ponder the significant "tipping points" which determined who I am today and how I live my life. Rarely do I make resolutions on New Year's Eve, yet I do take the opportunity to determine some general goals that I can make more specific as the year progresses. Perhaps this is an exercise in which you could join me? Welcome to Tuesday!!! A new year awaits!!!
What have been the transformational moments of your life? You know those moments that cause you to pause and be in awe of the experience. Moments like getting married, having children, changing jobs, having grandchildren and retirement can be some of the life moments that make you wonder about your decisions. They could even determine moments where you feel like its time to make a change.
Have you ever paused for a moment and looked at yourself in the mirror? Now, I don't mean that moment when you check out your hair, make sure your teeth are brushed and for some ladies check your makeup and men check their 5 o'clock shadow. I mean those times that you have looked through your eyes into the deep recesses of your memory. What things come to mind?
Successes? I hope so. Failures. Sure, they are there as well. But as the moment continues, how do you judge that Man in the Mirror?
In June of this year, it will be a decade since Michael Jackson died. His impact on the music industry is undeniable.
"Man in the Mirror" is heralded as one of Michael Jackson's best songs. It was one of a very few of Michael Jackson's #1 hits that were not written by Jackson. It was written in 1987 by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett, who also sang background vocals. "Man in the Mirror" features a historical gathering of backup groups, The Winans as well as Andre Crouch and The Andre Crouch Choir who all have had incredible impacts in the area of Gospel music.
"Man in the Mirror" spent 25 weeks in the charts, peaking at #1 after its initial entry on February 6th of 1988. Since its release, it has gone 3 times platinum as a single, and upon Jackson's death in 2009, "Man in the Mirror" sold over 3 million digital copies, making it one of iTunes biggest selling singles ever.
"Man in the Mirror" was a staple at Jackson's concerts and has been purported to be one of his favorites. It expresses the extreme desire for a societal change. Reality kicks in and soon the understanding occurs that if that change is to be brought about, it must begin with the only person in which we have responsibility...ourselves. In short, the person an epiphany occurs as the singer is evaluating the man in the mirror.
Epiphany is an old church word and an actual celebration in some countries. It notes the appearance of the Wise Men in the life of Jesus.
Interestingly, the King James Translation uses the same wording, "wise men" for the group of men that Daniel was placed over in Daniel 2:48 New American Standard Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible/King James Version of the Bible parallel. In the latter part of Daniel's life, he was in charge of a group of men under the Persian ruler Cyrus. Could it be that the Wise Men who visited Jesus were descendants of the men who served with Daniel? Could the ancient prophecies which the Wise Men used as their text have been written by Daniel? Scripture never eludes to this, however, with the prophetic nature of Daniel, it isn't too far of a stretch to see a connection.
The Wise Men's worship and gifts denote the cognizance in which they had come to about who Jesus was. The Gospel of Jesus according to the disciple Matthew, chapter 2, verses 1-12, NASB, The Message, KJV Despite constant reinforcement every Christmas, the Wise Men visited Jesus, not at the manger, but much later. Some theologians suggest that Jesus was about 2 when the Wise Men came on the scene. Regardless of when, these men (the Bible doesn't say how many, tradition suggests 3 due to the 3 gifts listed in the Bible - gold, frankincense, and myrrh), response upon encountering Jesus was to bow to the "King of the Jews". They were obviously highly respected and credible or they would not have been given an audience with Herod and yet here they were bowing to a 2-year-old and presenting Him with extravagant gifts.
They literally had a "come to Jesus meeting". While the Bible never says, one would imagine, these respected, credible stargazers were forever changed by the Holy appointment in which they had just participated. This encounter would undoubtedly cause the wise men to reevaluate everything they believed and everything they would do from that point. No message would have been any clearer. They had to make a change because of their encounter with Christ. This would be a change that would start with them and be spread to all in which they had contact.
So friend, as we start this new year, why not have an epiphany? Or celebrate Epiphany? Wanna make the world a better place? Look at the account of Jesus in Matthew - NASB/The Message/KJV, Mark NASB/The Message/KJV, Luke NASB/The Message/KJV, John NASB/The Message/KJV, then look at yourself, and then make that change!!! Nana, na, nana, na, na, na, na, na...
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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