December 16, 2022: Luke 2:10 - Good Tidings of Great Joy

“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.’” - Luke 2:10

An angel of the Lord appeared not to the Jewish religious leaders but to humble shepherds, keeping watch over their sheep, to bring to them the good news of the birth of Messiah, the good shepherd, the One who would give His life for the sheep.

The shepherds were chosen first to hear the good news about Jesus the Christ because as with them, whose flocks knew their voice, and they knew their sheep, and their sheep followed them, so would Jesus know His sheep, and we who know Him know His voice, and we follow Him.

This chapter of Luke lovingly demonstrates that religion can’t save anyone. Only the good shepherd can save us. Religion puffs up but faith in Jesus Christ humbles, for no matter how “good” we think we are, we are filthy compared to the glory of Jesus.

Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is the greatest gift ever given to mankind. He is our good news, for He offers salvation from sin. He breaks the bondage of sin that keeps us from living our lives the way God planned it to be, both here and in eternity.

Is Jesus your good shepherd? Have you accepted His free gift of salvation? Does He know you? Do you know Him and His voice? Are you following Him or are you like so many who are like sheep without a shepherd and who have gone astray?

I pray you cry out to Him like a lost sheep, listen to His voice as He calls you safely to the shelter of His rod and His staff that will comfort you, and follow Him all the days of your life, where goodness and mercy will follow you, and you will dwell in His house forever. 🐑🙏🏻✝️

December 15, 2022: Mark 6:31

“And He [Jesus] said to them, ‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’” - Mark 6:31

Jesus loved His disciples then, and He loves His disciples now. He took care of them and knew when they needed rest. Jesus cares not only for our spiritual needs but also our physical needs.

When we rest our earthly bodies and meditate on God’s word, it refreshes our heart in the Lord. Life in this world is difficult, even for believers in Christ, perhaps more so because we walk in darkness, shining His light among the mockers and scoffers, as in the days of Noah.

Let us not grow weary and remember to take time to rest in Him, letting His Holy Spirit revive us and prepare us for another day of sharing the good news of Jesus the Christ, Emmanuel, God with us. ✝️

December 14, 2022: Psalm 32:1

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” - Psalm 32:1

In this psalm, David contrasts a life with and without confession of sins to God. In verses 1-2, he acknowledges the blessings that come from being forgiven of sins by God. It truly means to be blessed.

David knew what it was like to be deep in sin and not confessing it to God. His sin drained him, taking his vitality from him. That’s what sin does. It might seem fun at first, but sin is a destroyer, draining the life from us. How many of us have been there?

How many of us wanted to do it our way? After all, there was even a hit song written called “My Way.” God will let us do it our way, for He will not harness us like a horse or mule to do it His way. He will let us experience the consequences of our sin, like any good Father.

And when we finally get to the point when we realize what a mess we have made of our lives, and sadly most never reach this point, when we turn to Him and ask Him to forgive us, His grace, mercy and love are poured out on us. He was there waiting for us all along to turn to Him.

He was waiting for us to see that oh how we need Him in our lives, every day, every hour, every minute, every second; oh, how we need Him. Have you been blessed by God’s forgiveness of your sins? Have you been freed from the weight of sin? If not, I pray you turn to Him today. ✝️