Christmas
By Pastor Timothy Burdick
"And
the Child grew and became strong; He was
filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was
upon Him" (Luke 2:40)
I suppose if we took
a survey and asked people what Christmas
meant to them, we would get many different
answers. Some might think of home cooking,
while still others might have loved ones far
away that they can't be with or still more
might think about the "magic" of the season.
As for me, I like to think about the cost.
Oh, not the cost of material goods - I am
thinking about how much it cost the Son of
God everything to give up His home in heaven
to be born in a cold, smelly stable. I am
thinking of Mary, who paid the price of
obedience. While there are many more people
we could talk about in the accounts given in
Scripture, there were also the Shepherds who
followed followed the words of an angel and
left their sheep to see the Son of God.
This Christmas I
would challenge you to think about the cost
that others have paid so that you can enjoy
the life that you live now. Then, give your
all to God, using your talents and
abilities. Luke 2:40 provides a good
outline, showing us how to do this. Just as
Jesus became physically a child, the Bible
tells us that we must spiritually become
like little children. In other words, we
need to be willing to be filled with
humility and faith in the Lord.
Second, Jesus grew
and became strong. We are to grow in His
Spirit and become strong in God's Word.
Jesus followed the Spirit and studied God's
Word, and because of these actions, He was
filled with God's wisdom, just as we can be.
We need God's wisdom and the Bible tells us
that we should ask for precisely that gift
(James 1:5). In still another place, the
Scripture tells us to be filled continually
with His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
Last, the grace, the
favor of His Father rested on Jesus, and it
can rest upon you and me. I hope that this
season as you look at the beautiful lights,
that you will think about the Light of the
world (John 8:12) who came in all His beauty
to save you and me.
Visit Pastor Timothy at New Vision Ministries website www.mynvm.org
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www.FridayStudy.org
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