Author Archives: Becky Pliego

About Becky Pliego

I am grateful because God, in His grace, called me out of darkness and into his admirable light. When I did not look for Him, He found me. When I was in a pit of sin, He rescued me. I am not walking this road alone, my family is always with me, and we love Him, because He loved us first.

>The Holiness of God – Chapter Ten- and Christmas-

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“When I consider your heavens, 

the work of your fingers, 
the moon and the stars, 
which you have set in place, 
what is the man that you are mindful of him, 
the son of man that you care for him? 
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings 
and crowned him with glory and honor” 
Psalm 8:3- 5 ESV

The chapter is entitled, Looking Beyond Shadows, and the Bible verse above is the starting point.  I have never thought what Dr. Sproul points out to us here, listen to him:

“These {Psalm 8: 3-5} were not the sentiments of a professional astronomer or a primitive astrologer. They were the reflections of an ordinary person who was contemplating his small place in a vast universe. The psalmist had no concept of an expanding universe that contained billions of stars and innumerable galaxies. He had no thoughts of exploding novae or of spiral nebulae. He had never heard of the Big-Bang cosmology. From his vantage point in space and time, the sky appeared to be a doomed canopy whose luminaries were perhaps only a few miles high in the sky”



I can not but put together this chapter with all the meditations I have been reading concerning the Incarnation of our Lord. 


This is what we should ponder about this season… “What is man that you are so mindful of Him?”

“With the meager resources the psalmist had when ge gazed into the night sky of Palestine, he was overwhelmed by the weighty sense of contrast between the magnificence of the heavens and the reality obscurity and insignificance of his own life. By considering the start, he was forced to ask the ultimate question: ‘What is man that you are mindful of Him?'”

This is where I see the connection… Why did You, O Lord, choose to come to rescue us… me?

Maybe I am starting to understand…

“Perhaps the psalmist was able to perceive something to which we have become almost completely blind. Perhaps it was because the psalmist could see past the stars and the moon to the ONe who set them in the heavens in the first place”

Yes, O Lord, help me see beyond the shadows; through the stars and the ordinary; Help me see you!

These words I read and re-read, these words say s much about me.

“We are creatures who prefer life in the cave to the full light of the blazing sun. The glory of God is all around us. We cannot miss it. However, we not only fail to stop and smell the flowers, but we also fail to notice the glory of the flowers’ Maker.


Indeed the featured presentation in te theater of divine majesty in which we walk daily is God’s glory. The Psalmist declares that the sky and all of nature sing out God’s glory and majesty”

This is the Holy One who was indeed mindful of his creatures and came to them. The creature became creature. The Holy One came in flesh.

But we cannot see beyond shadows if we haven’t been  regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We are not able to see beyond the beauty of the world around us, we are not be able to see  beyond the stars or Christmas lights; we are not able to hear beyond Christmas carols or the beautiful sound of ocean waves crashing against huge rocks; we are not able to see His holiness, His Glory beyond shadows if we have not been born of the spirit. If our eyes have not be opened to see and our ears have not been opened to hear. We desperately need Him.

“Shadows in a cave are given to change. They dance and flicker with ever-changing shape and brightness. To contemplate the truly holy and to go beyond the surface of creaturely things, we need to get out of our self- made cave and walk in the glorious light of God’s holiness”

Walking out from shadows…

Thanks to Tim Challies for choosing this book.

>Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord – Quotes that Nourish-

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The Nativity; Camillo Boccaccino. 16th Century

I read last week while on our vacation to the beach two little books, one is Martin Luther’s Christmas Book; the other by Augustine of Hippo, Sermons to the People: Advent, Christmas, New Year Epiphany.  I enjoyed them both, but I certainly enjoyed more Martin Luther’s book. (Augustine, talks about his belief of Mary being always virgin, something the Bible doesn’t say)

So I have chosen from these two books my quotes for today. Hope you enjoy reading them and find some nourishment for your soul.

“It was for you, my dear Brothers and Sisters, that God was made man. If He hadn’t been born in our time, you’d still be sleeping the sleep of death. If He hadn’t donned the same fatal flesh that Adam had, you’d never have been liberated from the sin of the flesh. If this Mercy hadn’t happened to you, Perpetual Misery would possess you whole and entire. If He hadn’t come to die the death for you, you wouldn’t have been born again. If He hadn’t propped you up, you’d have flopped yourselves down. Quite simply put, if He hadn’t come, you’d be dead as a doornail.” St Augustine.

“Is there no hope at all? “Not really” would seem to be the answer, except perhaps for the grace of the Incarnation.” St. Augustine
“Christian teaching is that in Christ God became flesh. Compared with that, no particular miracle matters much. If one could but believe that God lay in the manger, one could let go the star and the angel’s song and yet keep the faith.” From the Introduction to Luther’s Book.

“‘If only I had been there! How quick I would have been to help the Baby! I would have washed his linen. How happy I would have been to go with the shepherds to see the Lord lying in the manger!’ Yes, you would” You say that because you know how great Christ is, but if you had been there at that time you would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem. Childish and silly thoughts are these! Why don’t you do it now? You have Christ in your neighbor. You ought to serve him, for what you do to your neighbor in need you do to the Lord Christ himself.” Martin Luther

“Next to faith this is the highest art- to be content with the calling in which God has placed you. I have not learned it yet.” Martin Luther

“This is the way to observe this feast -that Christ may be formed in us. It is not enough that we should hear his story if the heart be closed. I must listen, not only to a history, but to a gift.” Martin Luther

“{H}e is called Jesus, meaning a Saviour who helps his people to turn and be saved. we have often explained and explain again, how to understand the Kingdom of our Lord; how to distinguish the spiritual and the temporal realms; that this Lord Christ does not build castles, towns, and villages like an emperor, king, or elector of Saxony, or even like me in my own household, but he saves his people from their sins. This is a fair, dear, and precious assurance to troubled and tormented consciences laden with sins, that to them and to us all a Child is born who will rule and vindicate, who will help and not destroy, murder, strangle, or kill” Luther


“The sum of it is  all here: ‘Unto you is born this day… a Saviour” Luther





Under His Sovereign Hand,

>Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord III – for little souls-

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Today I am writing for the little souls in your home; this post is for them.

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This story my little one, is true, so pay attention to what I have to say.

Remember the garden your mom has told you about, the most glorious garden that has ever existed? Yes, the Garden of Eden, the beautiful garden where God used to walked with Adam and Eve. It all started in that beautiful place. The serpent came, with lies that Eve believed and they, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God by eating from the only tree God had forbidden them to eat. You know what was the big lie they believed? The serpent told them that they were going to be like God if they took a bite of that forbidden fruit which, of course, looked delicious and pleasant to the eyes. Maybe you say that if you were there you would have never done that; but that is not possible. We all like to believe that same lie; we all like to be our own god. We want to do things our own way, we don’t like to hear precepts and commands, and we don’t like to obey dad or mom. We love our sin; we don’t want God to rule our lives.

Do you know what happened next? Adam and Eve died. First they died spiritually, they were not longer happy in God’s presence; instead, they wanted to run away from Him; they became fugitives. They did not want to seek God. They were, instead, always looking for darker places to hide from Him. Years later they also died physically. And so it is today, sinners are running away from God they are dead, even when we see them walking and shopping. They are fugitives; they do not look for God, they are hiding from Him. All sinners from Adam to the last baby who was born this past second deserve the penalty of death; we all deserve to live far from God, in darkness, in our sin. We all are fugitives.

But God had a plan. He had a plan even before He created Adam and Eve. He had a plan to rescue men and women whose names He had already written even before they were created in a beautiful book which is in Heaven called the Book of Life. The plan was amazing, listen to this:  God, the Son, would become flesh to pay the penalty of those whose names were written in the Book of Life. Who could have imagined such a thing? Yes! He, God-the Son would have to come to this ugly world full of sinful people, in the form of a man; He was going to come, not as a king or an important person, but as a servant. He was going to come to the world He had created; and walked under the sun He had created and eat the fish He had created. He had to come and no one would recognize Him. Isn’t that incredible? Yes, it amazes me too, to think that He left all His glory in Heaven to come as a man so every one who saw Him did not recognize Him as God, as the Creator of all.

This is what Christmas is all about, my little one; it is about the coming of God to this world as a Baby in a manger, who was born with no sin and who never sinned. It is about God taking the form of a man and laying His perfect life on the cross to pay the penalty of death which we deserved and could not pay with our own lives. It is about Jesus’ coming to defeat death; It is about Jesus, the Light of The World who shines with such a splendor that darkness flees from Him. It is about Jesus, the Author of Life conquering death; defeating it when He rose from the death.

This story is about you and I, too. It is the story of our redemption. Now we can walk again with God, not fleeing from Him; we are no longer fugitives, trying to hide in the darkest place, not to be found by God. He came to rescue us. We didn’t do anything! We did not choose to be rescued; we did not write the plan; we were death in our sins; we wanted to be our own gods. But He had a plan, He made a promise and He fulfilled His promise.

He came to us, now we can come to Him.

Peace and Joy be to you, little one.

Related posts in this series:

Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord -This is what Christmas is all about-
Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord – Gifts we Bring, by Elizabeth DeBarros-
Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord – A read aloud for little souls-

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>Even Greater…

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May you, find in His Word during this Advent season, the beauty of the greatest miracles of all.

Even greater than carrying Jesus in the womb as Mary did, is the mystery of carrying Jesus in our hearts.

Even greater than holding Jesus in the arms as Mary did, is the mystery of knowing that He is carrying us in His arms.

Even greater than feeding Jesus, as Mary did, is the mystery of being fed by His Word day by day.

Have you seen my photography journal?

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>I am Grateful for All the Advent Blessings -Borrowed Words-

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> I have been reading Scotty Smith’s prayers this Advent; they have been my companions when I come to the Father; they have opened my eyes to be grateful for so many Advent blessings that I did not count. Today I borrow his words and make them mine.

992. I am grateful for the one who prepared the way, John the Baptist, who was the voice of the desert; who proclaimed your coming and the repentance of sins.

993. Thank you for becoming flesh and taberanacling among us.

“Jesus, I praise you for becoming “flesh” and “tabernacling” among us for just the right amount of time. Though equal to, yet distinct from the Father, you didn’t consider your glory something to be tightly grasped or held onto selfishly. Rather, you emptied yourself by becoming a man—but not just any ordinary man, a servant-man, the Servant of the Lord… the second Adam, our Savior… my Savior”(1)

994.  Thank you because you accomplished everything necessary for he redemption of your people.

“In your thirty-three years of incarnate life, you accomplished everything necessary for the redemption of the people for whom you lived and died… but also for the restoration of the world you created and love. Be magnified, adored, regaled, worshiped and loved, Lord Jesus. What a wonderful merciful Savior you are! What a God who is so mighty to save!”(1)

995. Thank you because you reign with grace and truth.

  “I cannot sing Isaac Watt’s great Advent hymn, “Joy to the Word,” without thinking of John’s telling of your birth narrative. For you are presently ruling the world with your grace and truth—the grace and truth with which you are full. You’re making the nations prove the wonders of your love… as the gospel runs from heart to heart, and nation to nation.” (1)



996- 1002.

“From the fullness of your grace we keep receiving one blessing after another—one blessing on top of another. The blessings of your imputed righteousness… the blessings of perpetual favor with God… the blessings your intercession and advocacy… the blessings of your Spirit’s work in our lives… the blessings citizenship in heaven… the blessing of knowing the good work you have begun in us, and in the cosmos, will be brought to completion! Hail the incarnate deity!” (1)

1003- 1006. O, Your Word, Lord, your Word, I am grateful for it!

“Jesus, I’m thankful to know that every word of the Word, in one way or another, is ultimately about you. Every command drives me to you. Every promise is fulfilled in you. Every story whispers your name… points to your glory… and proffers your grace. This is why I love the Bible, all of the Bible, more than ever.”(2)

1007-1008

“Jesus, I praise you for being Immanuel—God with us and God for us. Your presence and your presents are all that we need… much more than we realize… and way beyond all we could have ever hoped for or imagined.”(2)

1009. I am grateful that You reign sovereignly over all circumstances.

“You’re at work in all things for your glory and for our good… in the obvious and in the not-so-obvious… in our gains and in our pains… in what we “get” and in the things which seem to contradict Who we know… when we’re “feeling the love” and when we’re feeling very lonely… when the gospel makes all the sense in the world to us and when we’re tempted to say with John the Baptist, “Are you the Messiah, or should we be looking for another?” (2)

1010. I am grateful that YOU  are the Messiah, the One Way, the One Truth , the One Life. (2)

1011. I thank you, O Lord, that you have not finished with me; that nothing can separate me from you.

“Absolutely nothing can separate us from your love, for we’re been called according to the Father’s purpose, which will never fail nor falter. He “knew” us—he set his affection upon us before the world began, and he will continue to provide everything necessary to complete the work of the gospel in our lives. We cannot not be more justified than we already are and we’ll be as glorified as any mortal man ever will be. Joy to the world indeed. Joy to us.” (2)

1012. Thank you for being the Shepherd-Savior that You are.

“Having laid down your life as the Lamb of God, you have risen and are now the standing shepherd promised by Micah—relentlessly caring… vigilantly protecting… faithfully providing for us. You never slouch, sleep nor slumber. You’re constantly cherishing and caring for us. You know us by our names and needs. Be praised and worshiped, O good and engaged Shepherd.”(3)

1013. Thank you because we lack nothing we need.

“Jesus, because of your great love for us in the gospel, we lack nothing we need. Though we don’t get everything we want, we do have everything we need for life and godliness… and a whole lot more. We praise you it’s green pastures and quiet waters to which you lead us—all for the restoring of our tired, weary, broken, rebellious souls. Your kindness is without equivalent.” (3)

1014. Thank you because you nourish us all the time.

” Jesus, you nourish us all the time, even when enemies are close by and threatening. Your generous anointing overflows us for the blessing of others. To follow you is to be followed by the fragrance of your goodness and love.” (3)

Open my eyes to see you this Advent season, open my eyes that I may not miss what does it mean in my daily life that You became Man.

(1) source
(2) source
(3) source

Related Posts:

Joining the Creation in Praise
Celebrating the Incarnation of Our Lord- Quotes that Nourish-
Gifts we Bring -a Guest Post by Elizabeth DeBarros-
Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord -Part One-

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>Sunday’s Hymn

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“From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”
by Martin Luther, 1483-1546

1. “From heaven above to earth I come
To bear good news to every home;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
Whereof I now will say and sing:

2. “To you this night is born a child
Of Mary, chosen virgin mild;
This little child, of lowly birth,
Shall be the joy of all the earth.
3. “This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
Who in all need shall aid afford;
He will Himself your Savior be
From all your sins to set you free.
4. “He will on you the gifts bestow
Prepared by God for all below,
That in His kingdom, bright and fair,
You may with us His glory share.
5. “These are the tokens ye shall mark:
The swaddling-clothes and manger dark;
There ye shall find the Infant laid
By whom the heavens and earth were made.”
6. Now let us all with gladsome cheer
Go with the shepherds and draw near
To see the precious gift of God,
Who hath His own dear Son bestowed.
7. Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes!
What is it in yon manger lies?
Who is this child, so young and fair?
The blessed Christ-child lieth there.
8. Welcome to earth, Thou noble Guest,
Through whom the sinful world is blest!
Thou com’st to share my misery;
What thanks shall I return to Thee?
9. Ah, Lord, who hast created all,
How weak art Thou, how poor and small,
That Thou dost choose Thine infant bed
Where humble cattle lately fed!
10. Were earth a thousand times as fair,
Beset with gold and jewels rare,
It yet were far too poor to be
A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee.
11. For velvets soft and silken stuff
Thou hast but hay and straw so rough,
Whereon Thou, King, so rich and great,
As ’twere Thy heaven, art throned in state.
12. And thus, dear Lord, it pleaseth Thee
To make this truth quite plain to me,
That all the world’s wealth, honor, might,
Are naught and worthless in Thy sight.
13. Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.
14. My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep;
I, too, must sing with joyful tongue
That sweetest ancient cradle-song:
15. Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto us His Son hath given!
While angels sing with pious mirth
A glad new year to all the earth.
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The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #85
Text: Luke 2: 1-18
Author: Martin Luther, 1535
Tune: Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1855, alt.
1st published in: “Geistliche Lieder” Leipzig, 1539

 May our mouths be filled with His praises today,


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