Quote for the Day
“…news of great joy….glorifying and praising God…”
Today's Prayer
This week let your prayers be those of praise and glory to God. Continue to thank God for His Son, Jesus, and the gift of His birth. Praise God for all He has done for you and those in your family and others around you. This week give God the glory He deserves for the works HE has done in YOUR life.
Luke 2:8-20
Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Message
Last week we looked at Christ as the eternal Word of God. This week as the “Christmas season” begins to wind down and the New Year is well in view, let’s continue to focus on Christ and our response to Him. The passage in Luke is the traditional story of Christmas. We see the angels appearing to the shepherds to announce the birth of Christ and then their visit to see the Christ Child. Two things become evident as we look closely at this story. First, the message of the angels. Their message was about GREAT JOY! Read verse 10 again. The focus is on the Joy that has been given to ALL people. We must remember that this is the reason for Christ’s birth: JOY! The second thing to see is the response by the shepherds once they have seen the “Joy” described by the angels. In verse 20, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God…” That should be our response as we consider the birth of Christ AND all year long. Our response to God should be that of glorifying HIM and praising HIM. How about you, can you take the message of the angels and glorify God this week…and beyond? Let the JOY of Christmas be your response all year long.
