TODAY’S DEVOTION (WEDNESDAY 25TH DECEMBER 2024)
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.
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another,
“Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Luke 2:10-16. NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 360TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT
Today is a day we are commemorating the Birth of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. Though today is not His birthday, because the date of His birth was not written down.
It was only the season of His birth that was described. And from the season, it is clear that He was not born on December 25th.
I will be refreshing our minds on why 25th December was taken as the Birthday of Jesus, in a special Christmas Broadcast I will be doing this morning at 8:30am EAT, titled, the “THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS.”
However, let us not cease rejoicing over the birth of Our LORD. Let us not cease joining the host of Heaven that rejoiced that day to declared great things over 2000 years ago.
Let us continually say, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, and goodwill toward men!” Yes, He is the prince of peace and His birth brought eternal peace to men.
Christmas celebration was never started by the apostles. Jesus did not say we should celebrate His birth. The only thing He said we should celebrate is our name written in the book of life. The Bible says;
“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20 NKJV
Yes, He did not say rejoice at the day of my birth, He said rejoice that your name is written in the book of life. Though it will not be a sin to rejoice at His birth day if it was known, but He never commanded it.
Celebrating birthdays began from the life of earthly kings and men of earthly fame, but it is not important to our LORD. In fact, in the Bible, Pharoah was the one whose birthday was mention.
The Birthday of our LORD was not mentioned and not important to Him. In His judgment, it has no eternal value.
WHAT HAS ETERNAL VALUE WAS HIS DEATH DAY, AND HAVING HIM BORN IN OUR HEARTS.
In other words, Jesus wants us to celebrate our spiritual re-birth not His birth. He wants us to celebrate when He is born in our hearts, not the day He was born, because it takes Christ born in us to have our names written in the book of life.
That is why those who are wise use the Christmas season to encourage people to have Christ born in their hearts. That is what we are to do as Christians.
I tell people, if you chose not to celebrate Christmas because of the way it started, no worries. Those who do not understand might call you names, but God will not destroy you for not celebrating His birth.
On the flip side, if you chose to celebrate it, God also will not destroy you, especially if you do not celebrate it like the Heathen do.
Yes, if you chose to use the day to do what the pagans do on Christmas day, then you are damned.
But if you chose to use the day to reflect on the blessing of the birth of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, and lead others to Him, you will be blessed.
So, when I say, “Merry Christmas!” I am saying it with an intention to promote the Spirit of Godliness. I say it rejoicing that Christ came to die for me, and that we all can have Him born in our hearts. That for me is the message of Christmas. It is Christ Move Against Sin.
Over the years, some of us have used the season to either renew the faith of others, get some others into the faith, or renew our own faith.
You will enjoy the most of the season if you use it to help others know the LORD Jesus Christ intimately, through the story of His birth!
For me, the Christmas story among other things is a redemptive story. It is the story of how God stepped into the human flesh as second Adam to redeem the first Adam with his offspring.
It is a story of how God became man to redeem man from the penalty, practice and presence of sin.
THE ANGEL WHO ANNOUNCED THE CONCEPTION OF CHRIST TO JOSEPH PUT IT THIS WAY, “TO SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS.”
Meaning, even when we were all sinners, we were still God’s people, but in need of salvation. If we had died that way, we would have gone to hell as God’s people.
In other words, we were God’s people who needed to become God’s Children.
The Christmas story tells how God initiated the process of making His people His children. It reveals to us the mystery of immaculate conception. That is why it will be foolish not to use a day like this to reflect on the mystery of immaculate conception.
That is why I encourage you to join us in our Christmas service this morning either in person, online, or through the Morning Cloud Television as we uncover the mystery. Hidden in that mystery is the process of authentic salvation.
The Christmas story tells us of many mysteries. The mystery of Immaculate conception is one.
It also tells us of the Mystery of how God picked Himself up again after His initial plan for mankind was disrupted at the Garden of Eden by the fall of man.
Like I have always said, God suffered a major set-back the day Lucifer became Satan, and suffered another the day mankind disobey Him and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
His initial plan was disrupted. The coming of the LORD was the beginning of fixing that plan.
God’s initial plan was to outsource Heaven to the earth through a creature in His Own Image and Likeness (a Son of GOD), hence creating man. But when man fell this plan was disrupted, and for ages the entire eternity waited for man’s redemption.
The Day Christ was born marked the beginning of the end of God’s setback. It marked the beginning of man’s redemption, and restoration. That was why the angels sang and rejoiced.
A major part of our devotional text says,
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:13-14 NKJV
The angels rejoiced because that was a come back for God. He picked Himself up again. That is why He is able to help us get back to our feet after any kind of fall or set back. You can use this Christmas day and tap into the come back grace of God demonstrated that day over 2000 years ago, because it is still available.
Do not give up on anything. Our Christmas prayer for you is that you receive grace from the LORD and get back to your feet wherever you might have fallen or suffered a set back. Amen and amen.
WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A GLORIOUS NEW YEAR!!!
“So, I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.” Joel 2:25 NKJV