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Beloved, during this week, as we commemorate the birth of the Lord Jesus, let's be mindful of how brighter this world is because He came into it. Jesus declared, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (Jn.8:12) I trust the following, "Our Comfort Zone" will challenge you/me to dedicate ourselves to do more in the coming year, to reach many for the Lord Jesus.
Strange Words For a New
Mom Following the Jewish custom, Mary and Joseph brought their baby boy to the temple to be circumcised, just eight days after that first Christmas. God had someone waiting for them there - an old man named Simeon who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the One he called "the Lord's Christ." He actually held the baby in his arms and praised God for sending Him. But then came those strange words for a new mom. In Simeon's words is the shadow of great pain for Mary and great hope for you and me. In Luke 2:34 and 35, "Simeon .. said unto Mary, his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Isreal ... Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also ...the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
But eight days into His life on earth, Simeon foreshadows the end of
Jesus' life. The Bible tells us that thirty-three years later
"near the cross stood His mother" (Jn. 19:25).
And surely, as Mary saw her boy nailed to a cross and then pierced by a
soldier's spear, that sword Simeon spoke of must have pierced her soul.
So as we sing our "sleep in heavenly peace" and "joy to the world" Christmas carols, let's not miss the shadow looming over the manger. It's the shadow of a cross. But that cross was not some tragic twist of fate. It was the plan of a God who loves us very much to give you and me a chance of going to heaven instead of hell - to enjoy the relationship with God we were made for but missed because of running our own lives.
And if there had been any other way to erase your sin from God's book
and to pay for your sin, believe me, God would have done it. All your
goodness, all your religion, all your Christianity - it cannot pay sin's
death penalty. Someone had to die to pay it. And someone did - the Son
of God. The writer of the classic carol, "What Child Is This" expressed
it powerfully: "Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, the cross be
borne for me, for you; hail, hail, the Word made flesh, the Babe, the
son of Mary."
So you've had your Christmases, celebrating Jesus' coming. Have you ever
had your Good Friday where you stand at the foot of that cross and say
the two words that are the difference between heaven and hell - "For me.
Jesus, what You did here was for me. And I'm giving me to You." That's
the only way you can receive the gift of eternal life He died to give
you.
If you've never done that - if perhaps you've known about Jesus all your
life but you've missed this step - let this be your Jesus-day. You'll
have a lot more to celebrate than just Jesus' coming to earth. This
Christmas you'll celebrate His coming into your life.
It wasn't just Mary's heart that was pierced on that awful day on Skull
Hill. We can only imagine the anguish in God the Father's heart,
watching Him be broken for you. So God will never forget what you do
with His Son.
Beloved, without the light of Jesus, we would be in the dark about
God. (Have a great CHRISTmas; Love you, Roy)
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