“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.”
Psalms 8:3-8 NLT
____ ____ ____ ____
Why?
Why, God, did you choose me?
A prideful, insecure, broken person like me?
Why?
I certainly don’t deserve it. I never deserved it.
So, why?
Why save the people who turned on you in the first place? Why save the people that want absolutely nothing to do with you?
Why?
Why are you so loving and merciful to us... because I certainly didn’t earn it—we certainly didn’t earn it.
If any of us were in your position, we would have turned our backs on us; I wouldn’t have given myself a second glance.
So, why?
No one can ever love that much... yet you do.
You loved us enough to send your Son to die for us.
To die for all our transgressions before they even happened.
This Son, Jesus, is our Hope and our Savior. The Prince of Peace and the Lords. Our Emmanuel.
In doing this... in putting His life for ours, for mine, we can now be reconciled to you and be redeemed.
In trusting you, we are now free from sin, free from our past, and free from the bonds of shame.
Yet, even now... Even as a Christian, I still sin. I still disobey your commands. I still push you away.
Which can make me feel unworthy of your presence.
Even as I am writing this... a part of my heart doesn’t really want it. It doesn’t really want you.
Yet, you still love us. You still pursue us. You run to us, even though we have turned our backs. You call out to us, even when we may not listen.
We don’t deserve it. We are unworthy of your presence. However, this is one thing I know.
You called us worthy. You called us loved. You called us beautiful.
Through your love, we can now come in union with you. We can now be called sons and daughters of the King.
So, this is my declaration. I know I may fail, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to live this life that I am living right now—a repetitive, useless life. I want to live for the Lord, and I want to glorify Him.
It will take commitment, and I will certainly stumble many times. I may feel lost, and I certainly may feel confused. Some days, I may not even think or feel that you are working.
But, I know you still are. You always loved me more than I could ever imagine. You have a plan set before me that is perfect. And you promised to always love us and lead us forever and ever, and never once will you or have you failed that promise.
Make me want you. Fill my heart with a desire, even a tiny spark.
I want to know you. I want to live for you. I want to glorify you.
Guide me in this season. Guide others as well. This year has certainly not been easy, but never once have you failed.
So, thank you, God, for your love, and thank you for sending your Son to bring light into the world.
Thank you.
____ ____ ____ ____
This Christmas season has been crazy, but Jesus’ birth brings, life, hope, joy, and peace, even to the life we are living in now. He was not born just for the shepherds that night, nor was he just born for the people of that time. He was born for the whole world—to bring light, to bring hope, and most importantly, to bring peace between our Father in Heaven.
After the fall in the Garden of Eden. God promised a Savior who would redeem the world from the grasp of the devil (Genesis 3:15).
Man had failed—we disobeyed the Lord. But God still wanted to restore us; He still wanted communion with us.
In the book of Isaiah, he prophesied the birth of the Messiah.
“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” - Isaiah 7:14 NLT
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” - Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT
And around 700 years later, Jesus was born.
“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.” - Luke 2:8-17 NLT
This day is a celebration of His birth. Despite how commercialized Christmas has become and despite how much we may love the gifts, the family time, and the overall feeling of the Christmas time, Jesus is the light of the world.
His birth brought hope.
And through His death, burial, and resurrection, we can now dwell in the house of the Lord forever and live to glorify Him.
His story—the Christmas story—was a story of peace, joy, hope, and love that led to the redemption of all humanity. And never once did we deserve any of it.
Kommentare