This morning we celebrate the moment in time when God became man. On this day, those many years ago, Jesus Christ was born to a virgin in Bethlehem. I would say that this was the beginning of God’s plan to redeem mankind, but that plan was actually conceived long before the foundation of the world, even before Adam and Eve had gained the knowledge of good, evil, and knew of sin. His plan continues unfolding to this very day as we anticipate the second coming of Jesus.
On this day, Christmas Eve, we are in great expectation of a tiny baby’s arrival into the lineage of David... the Christ Child, Jesus, Emanuel, the Son of God. He will be born in Bethlehem, and a star will shine bright inside each of us to show the way to where He will be held to His mother’s breast. Are we ready to make the journey to where He will be born into the world; into each of us? Is the anticipation of His coming calling us even now to where Angels will announce Him?
Have certain things of the world died to you? Are you a different person today than you were the day before you first believed? Do you ask the Lord to forgive you for your sins and then take a deep breath of relief when they are lifted from you, or do you ask, but then refuse to allow His total forgiveness to occur in you? Let’s look at this ploy of Satan... our continued spiritual regret and conviction after being forgiven.
Are we struggling with whether we will give ourselves completely to Jesus, and fully believe in God? Have we been reasoning and reading scripture without moving an inch closer to believing? If so, then we should quit listening to your own intellect, calm ourselves, and then open our ears to the still small voice of God that calls us to “Come.” Hearing God isn’t a matter of intellectual reasoning on our part; it is being inexplicably drawn by the Lord.
Do you know Jesus? Have you developed a relationship with God? Are you confident in your faith and feel like you have a handle on it? If you answered yes to the first two questions, that is exciting and wonderful. If you answered yes to the third then you are in for some big surprises as you read on.
The world is five sunrises away from Christmas morning, and the day when we will celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thank God Almighty we aren’t still awaiting His birth, but celebrating that which has already come! As with the birthdays of my own children, we like to reminisce, and think about that day Jesus was born; it brings the same tears of joy to our eyes. Now He is with us always, every minute, day, and week... so join me in praising Him... listen to our week with Him...
As we move towards a godly state of righteousness we shed one sin after another until at last we are down to our pet sins... those we consider insignificant, and that give us personal pleasure, or reduce the pain of life. When we reach this point, and we refuse to let these hidden sins go, then our relationship with God stalls, and we feel a growing separation from Him. This can happen early on in our walk, but usually it occurs once all of the low hanging sinful fruit has been plucked from us. These deeply imbedded sins that we pray over time and time again will require spiritual surgery to extract them.
Do you trust God enough to allow yourself to be used unconditionally to accomplish His good will? Do you believe that He brings bad situations upon you, or, do you believe He uses you amidst bad situations for His good purposes? These are questions that can influence, or define our faith.
Hearing the gospel of Jesus (that He was born, lived, suffered, died, and was resurrected to redeem us from sin and death), and having this message fall on that fertile spot within us, creates a need for it that is unquenchable. Are you one of those in whom the gospel of Jesus Christ has found a slight furrow into which its seed has fallen and taken root? If so then despite the season you are in, you will be called to tend it... time and time again, day after day, you will nurture it until it bears sweet fruit. For all the others there will be only darkness, and a withering drought.
Are we completely dressed and ready for the day, or have we professed our belief in God and Jesus Christ, but not clothed ourselves in those things they provide us that will protect us against the world? On top of that, are we ready to wrestle with the issues pertaining to God’s will for our lives that require us to be more than unthinking creatures?
Do you read a simple devotional each morning? Is it one that speaks God’s Word to you in an interesting new way, or alternatively, is it one that takes what is comfortable and bends God’s Truth to fit it? Finding the right author who doesn’t caudal your humanity at the peril of your spirituality is the challenge. Either an author who shows you God’s word in a new and challenging way, or one who might be doing harm to God’s Word, can affect your faith… one increases it, while the other can mislead you and do your faith great harm. Who do you read?
Feeling the Peace of Christ is one of the most treasured and coveted aspects of the Christian faith; it is a reward for obedience and is our harvest for believing, and living our lives as Jesus instructed us. Do we have the Peace of Christ today? Do we understand the difference between the peace of the world and the Peace of Christ?
How do we pray in intercession? Do we give our own instruction to the person for whom we are meant to pray, or do we place their suffering and other needs before God by praying that His will be communicated, and done, for them? One of the greatest snares in intercession is to allow our own sympathy and will to step in between the person needing prayer, and God. When this happens we are not interceding for them, but counselling them instead. We are attempting to provide the aid ourselves that only God is qualified to give.
Are you an individual? Do you see yourself as physically distinct? How about your personality? In fact, your physical traits describe what you are, while your intangible characteristics identify who you are… together they are you. Interestingly, when we are telling someone who we are as individuals we typically refer to our physical selves, but this is quite a limitation. Although we look alike in many ways, God has made each of us somewhat unique, but, on the other hand, our personalities are experienced more than seen, and their permutations are so boundless in nature that only God can truly understand them in total. When Jesus speaks in John 17:22-23, which of these is he referring to?
Do we attempt to hide who we are from God by covering ourselves in some fashion? Do we pretend to be spiritually in control when in fact we are anything but? Are our sins hidden within us where we feel they are safe from God’s eyes? Who are we fooling, but ourselves? Let’s lay our iniquities before us and seek God’s help in dealing with them, because He has known them all along... even when we hid them in the recesses of our heart.