"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light - a light that wil shine on all sho live in the land where death casts its shadow. " (Isaiah 9:2)
These words are spoken through Isaiah the prophet about 750 years before Jesus Christ would be born. It is a promise that God is going to bring light to people who have lived in the darkness of death because of sin. It is the promise that God is going to bring life and peace and hope where there has been none. And we discover in v. 6 that this light is going to come in the form of a "son" to be given.
The promise is that this "son" will establish the Kingdom of God and that there will ultimately be no end to His rule. It is an incredible promise. This one along with many others were prophecies that were fulfilled when a baby was born of a virgin named Mary in the city of Bethlehem, now nearly 2000 years ago.
It doesn't matter if they change the name to "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings". Ultimately Christmas is all about the Christ who came and dwellt among us, as John tells us in the first chapter of His Gospel. We don't have records in a courthouse of the exact date that Jesus was born, but we know that He came in the humblest of ways. He came to save us from our sins. He came to save us from death. He came to be our Savior. "And His name will be called Jesus."
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The Invitation of Christmas
"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." (Ps. 37:5)
When we talk about the matter of faith, there are all kinds of words that we use. We talk about believing which is an act of the mind, I believe. (A little play on the words, lol.) This verse in psalms refers to making a commitment, which is an act of our will. It is a choice that we make. Indeed life is all about choices. We can make our choices, we are free to do so. What we cannot do is choose the consequences of those choices. The choice to commit to Christ, is an act of faith with eternal benefits.
"Trust in Him" is the language of the heart. It is deeper than the mind and intellect. We ultimately determine in our will because the truth has made its way into our heart, not the blood pumping organ, but the control center of our life. The writer of Proverbs challenges us to "Trust in the Lord" with all of our heart.
Christmas is all about God's incredible love. He chose to send His Son into the world to be born of the flesh, a little baby humbling entering the world in Bethlehem some 2000 years or so ago. God invites us to believe that story. But He also invites us to allow the truth of that story to get into our hearts and lead us to make a choice. A choice to trust in God through Jesus Christ with all of our being. Christmas is an invitation by God to faith. And listen to this awesome promise. "Whoever calls on the Lord, will be saved." (Rom. 10:13)
When we talk about the matter of faith, there are all kinds of words that we use. We talk about believing which is an act of the mind, I believe. (A little play on the words, lol.) This verse in psalms refers to making a commitment, which is an act of our will. It is a choice that we make. Indeed life is all about choices. We can make our choices, we are free to do so. What we cannot do is choose the consequences of those choices. The choice to commit to Christ, is an act of faith with eternal benefits.
"Trust in Him" is the language of the heart. It is deeper than the mind and intellect. We ultimately determine in our will because the truth has made its way into our heart, not the blood pumping organ, but the control center of our life. The writer of Proverbs challenges us to "Trust in the Lord" with all of our heart.
Christmas is all about God's incredible love. He chose to send His Son into the world to be born of the flesh, a little baby humbling entering the world in Bethlehem some 2000 years or so ago. God invites us to believe that story. But He also invites us to allow the truth of that story to get into our hearts and lead us to make a choice. A choice to trust in God through Jesus Christ with all of our being. Christmas is an invitation by God to faith. And listen to this awesome promise. "Whoever calls on the Lord, will be saved." (Rom. 10:13)
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