December 28, 2019
The Gift of Christmas
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger”
And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Luke 2:10-14
What better day to launch this blog than on Christmas day! For me, Christmas and Easter tell of the greatest demonstrations of God’s goodness and His love for us. On Christmas, God became incarnate and dwelt among man! Why did He leave glory and come to earth? The Charles Wesley hymn, Hark! The Angels Sing says it well, “God and sinners reconciled”! So we echo “Glory to the newborn King”! Who is the newborn King? “Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.” Ps. 24:8. Jesus the Christ! What we could not do for ourselves, Jesus has done it for us. No longer adrift, far from the peaceful shores, Jesus offers us His peace. His peace says, redeemed, justified, loved and eternal life! “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. “Yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. LORD, you are so good! I can hardly comprehend the magnitude of this. Before I was born into sin, before I began living a life apart from God and before I was drawn to His incredible love, He died for me. Wow!
In November I wrote about how God showed up for me and my husband. When He shows up, you know it is Him, there is no mistake. It was miraculous and I hope I never forget what He did. Take a look at the November 2nd post.
In Matthew 1:23 the Word says, “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel (which means “God with us”). Jesus is the gift of Christmas! I will reflect upon the gift of His Presence. This Christmas makes me want to shout from the top of the tallest building, for all the world to hear, God is good! “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good”. Ps. 34:8
He pointed man to His coming so we would not miss Him;
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Do not miss Him when He shows up! If you feel led, please share how the Lord has made His Presence known to you.