Something to think about as you start a new week

Monday Meditations are quick posts designed to get you thinking about God. They provide a fresh perspective as you jump into your routine.

Altars Along the Way

By Paula Wiseman

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. Genesis 12:7

Strange land.
Unfamiliar terrain.
Canaanites all around.
Yet here, God appears.

And what does Abraham do?
He builds an altar.
Not a fortress for protection.
Not a house for comfort.
An altar.

From Shechem to Bethel,
His journey marked not by monuments to self,
But by stone reminders of divine encounters.

These weren’t grand temples or cathedrals.
Simple stones stacked in reverence,
Visible markers saying:
“God met me here.”

What if we built altars
Along our own journeys?
Not physical stones perhaps,
But moments of sacred pause.

Places where we stop,
Remember,
Worship,
And acknowledge:
“God met me here.”

Today
ordinary as it seems
Could be holy ground for an altar moment.
What stones of remembrance will you stack today?

The Call to Go

By Paula Wiseman

The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’ – Genesis 12:1

Leave what you know.
Leave who you know.
Leave the familiar comfort
Of everything you’ve built.

And go.
Not to a mapped destination,
Not with a detailed plan,
But simply to “the land I will show you.”

Abraham packed his possessions,
Gathered his household,
And stepped into the unknown
All on the strength of a promise.

No GPS coordinates.
No five-star reviews.
No guarantees except God’s word: “I will show you.”

How many blessings remain unclaimed
Because we refuse to leave?
How many promises unfulfilled
Because we demand to see the whole path?

Faith isn’t knowing every turn ahead.
Faith is taking the next step
When God says, “Go.”

Your Monday may feel like uncharted territory.
But the God who guided Abraham
Is showing you the way too.

In the Beginning

By Paula Wiseman

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1

First words.
First actions.
First light breaking through darkness.
Before anything else existed, God was already there.

The canvas blank,
The void empty,
Until His voice echoed across nothingness
And something answered back.

We often rush past these opening words,
Eager to get to our part of the story.
But pause here with me.
Feel the weight of this moment.

Everything we know,
Everything we see,
Everything we are,
Began with God’s creative word.

And in your life today
Your blank pages,
Your empty spaces,
Your waiting darkness
God is still creating.

He who spoke galaxies into existence
Is speaking purpose into your Monday,
Your week, your year.

Your story doesn’t begin with you.
It begins with Him.

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.'” – Matthew 2:1-2 (ESV)

Wise men from distant lands—scholars, astronomers, seekers—
Following a star, pursuing a promise,
Embarking on a journey of hundreds of miles,
Demonstrating that the Christmas story reaches far beyond Bethlehem.

They were not Jews, not part of the covenant,
Not raised on prophecies or promises,
Yet something in the heavens spoke to them,
Inviting them into a story not originally their own.

Their presence reveals the expansive heart of God,
Whose promise extends beyond a single people,
Whose light draws seekers from every nation,
Whose birth is good news for the entire world.

They brought treasures from afar—
Gold acknowledging a king,
Frankincense recognizing deity,
Myrrh foreshadowing sacrifice.

Their worship cost them something:
Time measured in months, not moments,
Resources of significant value,
Comfort sacrificed for pilgrimage.

Their story reminds us that Christmas doesn’t end on December 25th,
That the journey toward Jesus continues long after the nativity,
That the promise of his birth unfolds throughout our lives,
Inviting ongoing seeking, finding, and worshiping.

For the promise of Christmas continues to unfold,
The light still shines in the darkness,
The journey still beckons those with eyes to see,
And the King still receives all who come to worship.

Will you, like the wise men, follow the light that leads to Christ,
Bring your treasures to honor him,
And allow your encounter with him to redirect your path
As you journey into the new year?

The Promise Fulfilled

By Paula Wiseman

“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'” – Luke 2:10-11 (ESV)

No royal announcement, no palace proclamation,
Just shepherds in fields, keeping watch by night,
When heaven’s glory broke through darkness
And God’s promise took its first breath in a stable.

The long-awaited moment came quietly,
The divine entered the world almost unnoticed,
The eternal stepped into time without fanfare,
The Creator became creature in perfect humility.

“Fear not”—words that bridge the gap
Between human terror and divine encounter,
Between our smallness and God’s glory,
Between what we expect and what God delivers.

“Good news of great joy”—not just information,
But transformation; not just facts, but freedom;
Not a message to be analyzed, but a miracle to be celebrated,
A joy that would ripple outward to “all the people.”

“Unto you is born”—the most personal of promises,
Not just for the world, not just for Israel,
But for you—shepherds, outcasts, overlooked,
For you—whoever you are, wherever you are.

“A Savior”—not just a teacher or example,
But a rescuer for those who cannot save themselves,
A deliverer for the captive, a healer for the broken,
The answer to humanity’s deepest need.

“Who is Christ”—the Messiah, the Anointed One,
The fulfillment of centuries of longing and prophecy,
The one who would restore David’s throne,
The promised King whose kingdom would never end.

“The Lord”—not just a human savior or earthly king,
But God Himself wrapped in swaddling clothes,
Divinity in diapers, majesty in a manger,
The Creator become vulnerable for His creation.

They went “with haste” to see this thing,
Not delaying, not debating, not deferring,
But responding immediately to heaven’s announcement,
Eager to witness promise transformed into presence.

Then they became the first evangelists,
Spreading the word about what they had seen and heard,
Turning from witnesses into messengers,
From receivers of the promise to proclaimers of its fulfillment.

For the promise of Christmas is not just a historical event,
But a present reality—God with us, among us, for us.
The same Jesus who fulfilled ancient prophecies
Still fulfills His promises in our lives today.

Will you, like the shepherds, leave behind your routine
To witness the miracle, to worship the Savior,
And to spread the word about what you have seen and heard?
For unto you—yes, you—is born this day… a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

The Promise to Joseph

By Paula Wiseman

“But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.'” – Matthew 1:20-21 (ESV)

Joseph’s story begins with silence.
No recorded words, just quiet contemplation,
A righteous man facing an impossible situation,
A carpenter whose carefully built plans had splintered.

The woman he loved was with child,
A child that was not his own,
A pregnancy that spoke of betrayal,
That threatened his honor and her life.

He could have exposed her publicly,
Could have demanded the law’s full penalty,
Could have protected his reputation at her expense,
But chose instead the path of quiet mercy.

“As he considered these things”—
In that space between decision and action,
In the quiet wrestling of a troubled heart,
God intervened with heavenly perspective.

“Joseph, son of David”—
Addressed not just by name but by lineage,
Reminded of his royal heritage,
His place in the unfolding story of redemption.

“Do not fear to take Mary as your wife”—
Permission to love when logic said otherwise,
Freedom to embrace what appeared scandalous,
Courage to walk a path others would question.

“For that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit”—
The impossible explanation,
The divine origin of her condition,
The miraculous truth behind apparent betrayal.

“She will bear a son”—
A child who would legally be his through adoption,
A son he would name, protect, and raise,
A boy who would learn carpentry from his calloused hands.

“You shall call his name Jesus”—
A command that made him part of the story,
A role in the divine drama,
A voice announcing the Savior’s identity.

“For he will save his people from their sins”—
Not from Roman occupation,
Not from political oppression,
But from the deeper bondage of sin itself.

“When Joseph woke from sleep,
He did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.”
No recorded questions, no expressed doubts,
Just immediate, complete obedience.

Joseph teaches us about promises received in darkness.
When life makes least sense,
When plans collapse and dreams shatter,
God’s greatest promises often arrive.

He shows us faith that acts without speaking,
Obedience that doesn’t demand explanation,
Righteousness that makes room for mystery,
Strength found in surrender to God’s larger story.

Joseph reminds us that sometimes God’s promises
Require us to embrace what others will misunderstand,
To follow divine direction when it defies human logic,
To trust heaven’s perspective when earth’s view is limited.

For the God who spoke to Joseph still speaks today,
Still invites us into stories larger than ourselves,
Still asks us to trust beyond what we can see or understand.

The question is whether we, like Joseph,
Will wake from our limited perspective
And do as the Lord commands,
Becoming part of the unfolding promise of Christmas.