"And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, 'Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.' And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them." Luke 2:15-20
With Christmas Day just a little more than a week away, you've probably been saturated with your annual dose of Christmas carols and holiday tunes from the radio, from the stores in which you've shopped, and the church Christmas programs you've attended. Some holiday songs hold very little meaning. Some bring no honor to the occasion of Christ's birth, while many would lead you to believe that Christ has nothing at all to do with the celebration.
How fortunate we are that the preacher and hymn write Charles Wesley penned this beautiful poem. Let its meaning guide you through the day with an expectation and heart filled with adoration for Christ.
"Come, Thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts along;
By Thine all-sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne."
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The Promised Messiah
"Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:1-12
A further aspect of the incarnation (God's taking on physical human form as Jesus) is the recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. Our wonder and worship of the Christ-child are greater when we see Him as the fulfillment of God's promise. It's easy to see through reading the Gospels that the people of Jesus' day did not really recognize Him as their Messiah. Especially absent was any official recognition by the religious authorities; they were the ones who instigated His death.
But lest we find ourselves too quick to judge, it stands as a point of challenge to us today: Do we daily recognize Jesus for Who He really is? As you read the Scripture for today, note - Jesus literally fulfilled everything Isaiah said would happen to the Messiah. And yet, even after His resurrection, the Jews still didn't recognize Him.
The power of the Christian life (and you've probably heard this many times) is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And that's why Christmas is so important. Christ's birth as a human being made it possible for us to relate to and respond to God. His birth opened the way for us to know God personally, individually.
That pursuit is at the very heart of all worship and relationship between you and God - simply to know Him. And because of His arrival as a baby in that stable in Bethlehem, we can know Him. "O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord."
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:1-12
A further aspect of the incarnation (God's taking on physical human form as Jesus) is the recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. Our wonder and worship of the Christ-child are greater when we see Him as the fulfillment of God's promise. It's easy to see through reading the Gospels that the people of Jesus' day did not really recognize Him as their Messiah. Especially absent was any official recognition by the religious authorities; they were the ones who instigated His death.
But lest we find ourselves too quick to judge, it stands as a point of challenge to us today: Do we daily recognize Jesus for Who He really is? As you read the Scripture for today, note - Jesus literally fulfilled everything Isaiah said would happen to the Messiah. And yet, even after His resurrection, the Jews still didn't recognize Him.
The power of the Christian life (and you've probably heard this many times) is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And that's why Christmas is so important. Christ's birth as a human being made it possible for us to relate to and respond to God. His birth opened the way for us to know God personally, individually.
That pursuit is at the very heart of all worship and relationship between you and God - simply to know Him. And because of His arrival as a baby in that stable in Bethlehem, we can know Him. "O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord."
Monday, December 14, 2009
Christ...Our Savior
"In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'"
Let's spend the next two weeks in preparation for a significant time of personal worship of the One Whose birth we commemorate at Christmas. Each day our focus will shift to another indispensable aspect of the Christ-child: today His role as Savior.
The shepherds heard an angelic host announce the arrival of "a Savior,...Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Can you imagine the mental image these men and boys had of a national savior, divinely heralded by a choir or angels? Why, the nation of Israel no doubt would soon be freed from the pesky Roman rule. They would have a kingdom once again like that of David's historic, glorious reign.
No, God's redemptive plan far superseded earthly kingdoms and thrones. Many in Jesus' day were unable to recognize the arrival of the Promised One - even though they studied the Scriptures and knew what to look for.
"Poor, ignorant, blind, foolish, men," we sadly say. "They missed the greatest opportunity in the history of the world." But think for a moment: If Jesus came today, would you recognize him? What standard would you use to decide if He was Who He claimed to be?
Let's spend the next two weeks in preparation for a significant time of personal worship of the One Whose birth we commemorate at Christmas. Each day our focus will shift to another indispensable aspect of the Christ-child: today His role as Savior.
The shepherds heard an angelic host announce the arrival of "a Savior,...Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Can you imagine the mental image these men and boys had of a national savior, divinely heralded by a choir or angels? Why, the nation of Israel no doubt would soon be freed from the pesky Roman rule. They would have a kingdom once again like that of David's historic, glorious reign.
No, God's redemptive plan far superseded earthly kingdoms and thrones. Many in Jesus' day were unable to recognize the arrival of the Promised One - even though they studied the Scriptures and knew what to look for.
"Poor, ignorant, blind, foolish, men," we sadly say. "They missed the greatest opportunity in the history of the world." But think for a moment: If Jesus came today, would you recognize him? What standard would you use to decide if He was Who He claimed to be?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Birth of Jesus
“Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’
And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.” Luke 2:1-20
And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’
And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.” Luke 2:1-20
Friday, December 11, 2009
Growing in Adversity
“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
Although I’ve never flown a plan or skydived, I greatly enjoy listening to a friend recount his stories of memorable events. Experientially, we’re worlds apart. He has experienced these activities; I can appreciate his enjoyment only secondhand.
One of the greatest resources for encouragement and added faith and trust in God is either to read or hear the testimonies of others who have found Him faithful to His Word and have weathered great difficulty or trial though God’s unlimited grace and care. But far beyond the joy gained by reading someone else’s experience is the joy gained by going through the experience yourself. This holds true for us as we look into the issue of adversity.
One of God’s tools for transferring truth from our heads to our hearts is the use of adversity. It is in times of difficulty or trial that we begin to toss out beliefs we have held which don’t hold up under pressure. The Crucible of adversity tries our beliefs to the maximum. Our perception of Who God really is becomes much sharper under the force of this tool. Best of all, God doesn’t remain an impersonal “Someone” but reveals the tenderest touch of a loving Father through it all.
Remember this thought: What He leads you to - He leads you through!
Although I’ve never flown a plan or skydived, I greatly enjoy listening to a friend recount his stories of memorable events. Experientially, we’re worlds apart. He has experienced these activities; I can appreciate his enjoyment only secondhand.
One of the greatest resources for encouragement and added faith and trust in God is either to read or hear the testimonies of others who have found Him faithful to His Word and have weathered great difficulty or trial though God’s unlimited grace and care. But far beyond the joy gained by reading someone else’s experience is the joy gained by going through the experience yourself. This holds true for us as we look into the issue of adversity.
One of God’s tools for transferring truth from our heads to our hearts is the use of adversity. It is in times of difficulty or trial that we begin to toss out beliefs we have held which don’t hold up under pressure. The Crucible of adversity tries our beliefs to the maximum. Our perception of Who God really is becomes much sharper under the force of this tool. Best of all, God doesn’t remain an impersonal “Someone” but reveals the tenderest touch of a loving Father through it all.
Remember this thought: What He leads you to - He leads you through!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
When in Need
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:13-16
Suddenly you find yourself in an emergency room while doctors and nurses fight to save your life. Your circumstances are out of your control. The police have just left, taking with them your teenage son on criminal drug charges. His circumstances (and yours) are out of control. She says it has been a slow process, but over the years you have simply killed her love. Now she has found someone who really loves her and she’s leaving you. Your circumstances are out of control.
How do you respond in times like these just described? What holds you together so that you don’t simply unravel on the spot? These are times when we desperately need confidence (which is usually the first thing we lose) and a sense of inner tranquility - even though our emotions may be pressed to the breaking point. To achieve that, consider the following:
Remember God’s promises. Locate an appropriate promise for your need.
Recognize that God is intervening in your circumstances.
Release your grip on your circumstances. Look to the Lord for His purpose in your situation.
Rest in God’s sovereign care.
Rejoice. God is directing every event in your life for your good.
Remember: Your circumstances are never out of God’s control.
“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.” - Oswald Chambers
Suddenly you find yourself in an emergency room while doctors and nurses fight to save your life. Your circumstances are out of your control. The police have just left, taking with them your teenage son on criminal drug charges. His circumstances (and yours) are out of control. She says it has been a slow process, but over the years you have simply killed her love. Now she has found someone who really loves her and she’s leaving you. Your circumstances are out of control.
How do you respond in times like these just described? What holds you together so that you don’t simply unravel on the spot? These are times when we desperately need confidence (which is usually the first thing we lose) and a sense of inner tranquility - even though our emotions may be pressed to the breaking point. To achieve that, consider the following:
Remember God’s promises. Locate an appropriate promise for your need.
Recognize that God is intervening in your circumstances.
Release your grip on your circumstances. Look to the Lord for His purpose in your situation.
Rest in God’s sovereign care.
Rejoice. God is directing every event in your life for your good.
Remember: Your circumstances are never out of God’s control.
“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.” - Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
How to Keep Going
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.” John 15:10
Of all the people we read about in Old Testament narrative, there is one who comes along early (Genesis 4-5) who is credited with something no one else achieves. One man lived such a life that at the end of 365 years, it doesn’t say, “and he died,” but rather it says, “and he was not, for God took him.” Genesis 5:24
Maybe we can learn something from this Old Testament man who walked with God as we look at the New Testament Man Who is God. Again and again, Jesus surprises us as we read the Gospels. His response to people is so different and so refreshing that it’s not hard to see why people were drawn to Him and wanted to follow after Him.
Jesus was deadly serious about one thing: obedience to the will of God the Father. Whenever He became aware of the Father’s will, the narrative shows Him quickly carrying it out. That same quality is demanded of each of Christ’s followers. We must recognize that in order to accomplish God’s purpose; we must function according to God’s will which often is opposed by our own will. That’s the point of surrender. Obedience doesn’t come from an unsurrendered heart.
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.” John 15:10
Of all the people we read about in Old Testament narrative, there is one who comes along early (Genesis 4-5) who is credited with something no one else achieves. One man lived such a life that at the end of 365 years, it doesn’t say, “and he died,” but rather it says, “and he was not, for God took him.” Genesis 5:24
Maybe we can learn something from this Old Testament man who walked with God as we look at the New Testament Man Who is God. Again and again, Jesus surprises us as we read the Gospels. His response to people is so different and so refreshing that it’s not hard to see why people were drawn to Him and wanted to follow after Him.
Jesus was deadly serious about one thing: obedience to the will of God the Father. Whenever He became aware of the Father’s will, the narrative shows Him quickly carrying it out. That same quality is demanded of each of Christ’s followers. We must recognize that in order to accomplish God’s purpose; we must function according to God’s will which often is opposed by our own will. That’s the point of surrender. Obedience doesn’t come from an unsurrendered heart.
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