Song of the Day
“Hark the Herald” by Paul Baloche
Scripture to reflect upon
- 2 Cor 5:18-20,
- Luke 2:13-14,
- Col 2:9,
- 1 Pet 3:18,
- Isa 9:6 (ESV),
- John 1:4-5,
- John 11:25-26,
Devotional thought
When we read the Christmas story as recorded in the Gospels, I don’t think we can grasp the full and complete miracle that actually happened the day Jesus Christ came into this world! And, although I cannot even begin to capture the full work of the Deity becoming Man and all that means for us, I will discuss the most important (in my humble opinion) work of all in this devotional – the reconciliation of God and mankind!
See, when Jesus came into the world, He brought with Him the Advent of Peace! There is no peace for those who are not reconciled to God almighty. There is a chasm between sinners and the Holy God of the universe. It is broken bridge spanned across a never-ending pit that must be repaired by someone, or something, greater than we are. That is exactly what Jesus Christ did! He repaired the bridge that leads us back to God. He BECAME the bridge for us!
I love the way Paul states it in 2 Cor 5:19:
“In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,…”
The plan that included a Babe in a manger, resulted in all of humanity having access to forgiveness and reconciliation to the very God we offend and reject daily! See, the rest of that verse above states that God is not holding the worlds sins against them, but pleading with us all to be reconciled to Him through Jesus! That means that He removed the very thing that was blocking all of us from experiencing Him – sin. Christ became that sin for us, so that we can finally stand righteous before Him!
So, now you see why the Angels declared, “Glory to God, and on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased!” Because, we who are in Christ have peace because He declares us righteous through faith in Him (see Rom 5:1)! The Angels are blown away by this truth! They are watching the mystery of the ages unfold before their eyes, and their response is to shout praises to the God of Glory! I think we would do well to follow suit!
That is why I love that we break into a bridge of praise crying out for the King of Heaven to come and let His glory shine into our hearts now! Man is reconciled forever with God! What more reason do we need than this to respond to the King of glory like the Angels and Shepherds did – Glorifying and praising God for all they heard and seen!!
Prayer
Great God, I thank You for reconciling me to Yourself through Jesus Christ. I love You Lord, and I praise You for being the King of kings who came into this world and showed me Your love. I declare even now with the Angels of Heaven, Glory to You, God! Help me now to declare Your praises to others as I act as an ambassador for Your reconciling grace toward us. In Jesus’ name. Amen
