Friday, December 15, 2017

December 16, 2017

for behold, I bring you good news of great joy......" Luke 2:10


Like you, I have had good news and I have had bad news and good news is definitely better! But, not all good news brings great joy. The news about Christmas did! Why?

I want to examine this "joy thing" over the next few posts and perhaps you can gain a better understanding of what the angel was talking about and why you don't experience more of it.

How does that sound?

As I meditated on this question, "What was it about Christmas that brought joy?" I came up with a number of answers that worked for me. We will see if they matter to you.

The first source of joy in the Christmas story is God's Presence!

God's greatest present was His presence! Jesus was "the Word that became flesh" to dwell among us! Jesus was "Immanuel", " God with us!

For centuries only the High Priest could enter presence of God and only on special occasions. But now, because of Jesus, God would realize His greatest desire and your deepest need could be met! He could dwell in you and you can live in His presence! Since that is exactly what you were created for, that brings joy!

Will you know the joy of His presence today? Will you enter in? Will you welcome Him into your spirit? Will you fellowship with Him by faith? Will you walk with Him in obedience? Will you commune with Him through prayer? Will you encounter Him in the Word? Will you partner with Him in service?

You will never know joy apart from the presence of God. And the good news of great joy is that Jesus has come to dwell in you!

Grasping Infinity

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."  II Peter 3:8



I have always had a hard time trying to wrap my mind around the concept of eternity. When I was a kid I would lie in bed thinking about forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and........I would drift off to sleep. A finite mind like mine can't grasp infinity.

But I believe in it! I am counting on it! I have invested my life in the faith that there is a forever!

Just as I struggle to comprehend eternity, I wonder if Jesus must have struggled a bit when He stepped FROM eternity into the constraints and limitations of time! Imagine the One Who had measured time in millennia now had to meter it in minutes. Imagine the One Who is timeless having to learn how to tell time!

Of all the adjustments Jesus had to make when He emptied Himself of all the advantages of divinity to be born as a flesh and blood baby in a stable on planet Earth, learning to live in time must have been one of the toughest.

But one of the many amazing aspects of the Christmas story is that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" stepping out of eternity into time!
Understanding that He did that is important. Understanding why He did it is even more important. He submitted to the constraints of time so He could make it possible for you and me to enjoy the freedoms of eternity!

So, with that in mind, will you make time for Him in the midst of this busy Christmas season? Will you find time to seek Him in His Word? Will you make time to talk to Him in pray? Will you set aside time to meditate and hear His voice? It takes time to become eternal!

And the next time you feel under time pressure around the Christmas rush let it remind you that the Son of God put Himself under time pressure in order to help you last forever!