“I bring you good tidings of great joy …”
— Luke 2:10
Imagine yourself in the shepherds’ sandals. You’re minding your own business, tending to the evening duties all shepherds attend to, when an angel shows up and the glory of God shines all around you. You not only behold such a magnificent sight, but you also hear the angel proclaim, “I bring you good tidings of great joy.”
That angel was the first preacher of the Gospel—glad tidings, wonderful news, the glorious message of great hope and joy for all people.
The joy of Christmas is the joy of reconciliation. If you’re like the rest of us, you know the sadness and pain of being at odds with someone—especially with someone you love—because an argument or harsh, cruel words have divided you. When those times come, you can feel a cold, thick wall separating you from your spouse, child, friend, or relative. You believe you’ll never experience joy again until the moment you reconcile. And when you finally knit your hearts together again and your tears of sorrow have turned into laughter and hugs, you can feel joyful once more.
How much more do we feel that joy when we’ve reconciled with God.
Our sin and rebellion have built a wall between us and God. Ever since that fateful day in Eden, humankind and God have been estranged. But Jesus was born to break down that wall by atoning for our sins. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can be reconciled with God. At last we can rest in His arms and receive the robe of righteousness and the ring of kinship. Now the joy bells start ringing in our hearts, and a song bursts forth from our lips—a song of praise unto Jesus Christ, who has made it all possible, who has joined the hand of the sinner with the hand of the Father.
What a joy is that reconciliation. Today, join with me in celebrating the wellspring of joy that comes from a heart reconciled with God.
QUOTE:
“Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled! Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies.”
— Charles Wesley
The Joy Of Christmas
Luke 2:10
December 24, 2023
A Remembrance Of Death
December 31, 2023
“What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?” — Psalm 89:48 Tonight we say goodbye to the old year and usher in the new. It’s a special time of reflection and tradition, and perhaps tonight you’ll engage in your own celebration as this year passes into the next. Perhaps you’ll look back on favorite memories of the past year and anticipate some new adventures in the year to come. But many will spend their New Year’s Eve getting drunk. Have you ever wondered why so many people feel the need to do that? Think about it. Is it just a tradition? Or is it something more? Perhaps the Romans of old knew. They had a phrase for it: momento mori, a “remembrance of death.” The old year is frequently pictured in art as a doddering old man staggering his way into oblivion. If you think about it, the picture is quite fitting. The Bible tells us that Satan has held the whole world in bondage through the fear of death. With that truth in mind, I can realize why the unregenerate, who have never been delivered from that fear, who do not have the blessed assurance of eternal life, feel the need to get drunk. If another year’s passing brings them that much closer to death, it’s no wonder they want to obliterate that reality with alcohol. It is really ironic, for the whole world prides itself on its realism and chides Christians for believing in “fairy tales.” Some realists! These people can’t face the greatest reality that every human being must inevitably face: the fact of death. But that doesn’t stop some people from trying. If we go back to 300 B.C., we find the hedonist philosopher, Epicurus, who said that death doesn’t concern us, for as long as we exist, death is not here, and when death comes, we no longer exist. But that isn’t so. We cannot remove death through philosophy, science, or medicine. It is only in Christ that our mortality ceases to be frightening. For only in Him do we know what awaits us after death or, more accurately, Who awaits us after death. Christians can echo the apostle Paul: “To live is Christ; to die is gain.” Tonight, as you say goodbye to an old year and usher in a new one, rejoice that you’re one year closer to meeting our Father in Heaven. Death’s door holds no fear for you; you’re on your way to eternal life united with Christ. Now that’s something to celebrate. QUOTE: “Not what we call death, but what [is] beyond death is … [what] … we fear.” — T. S. Eliot
A Matter Of Profit And Loss
December 30, 2023
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” — Mark 8:36 “Show me the numbers.” This motto typifies our society’s attitude and focus. We’re driven by the financial “bottom line.” How much money can we make? How will our choices impact our bank accounts? But the true bottom line is the end of our lives, and when we get there, the amount of money we have won’t matter at all. Instead, the ledger either will or will not have our names in the “life given to Christ” column. Will your name be there? A little girl once asked her father, “Daddy, is your soul insured?” Puzzled, he responded, “No, darling, why do you ask?” She answered, “Well, you were just saying that your car is insured and our house is insured, and last week I heard Uncle George say that he was afraid you would lose your soul. Daddy, is your soul insured?” Some people don’t think about their souls until they come to the end of their lives. Edward Gibbon, the author of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and a great skeptic, often attacked Christianity. But at the end of his life, he said, “All is now lost, irrecoverably lost. All is dark and doubtful.” How can you lose your soul? You can lose it through rejecting Christ outright, or you can lose it by simply neglecting Him. Scripture asks, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3). I believe more people lose their souls this way than by outright denial—by simple neglect, by merely putting it off. To “insure” our souls, we must receive Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord of our lives. If we do, we’ll experience a great reward in the bottom line of life. When Phillip Jenks, a humble Christian, was asked, “How hard is it to die?” he answered, “I have experienced more happiness today when dying than in all my life.” Don’t neglect your soul. If you haven’t already, give it to Christ. Whether you’re saved or not is the ultimate bottom line. QUOTE: “He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep in order to gain that which he cannot lose.” — Jim Elliot
A Look At The Hereafter
December 29, 2023
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away …” — Revelation 21:1 Many years ago I heard a man derisively described as someone who was “so heavenly minded that he was no earthly good.” We may hear that from time to time, but for every one person who fits that description, ten thousand people are so worldly minded that they are no heavenly good at all. Where do your thoughts dwell: on the concerns of this world or in anticipation of eternity spent in Heaven? Once I was in an unfamiliar building. When I was ready to leave, I opened a door, thinking it was an exit, but instead I had stepped into a tiny broom closet. Of course, I stepped out instantly and closed the door. I was probably in there only one or two seconds at the most. Now, wouldn’t you think it extraordinarily odd if I spent the rest of my life thinking about that little closet when I had spent such a short time in it? In the same way, why do we spend all of our time thinking about this “little closet” of earth that is but a fleeting moment in the framework of eternity? Many people spend more time preparing for a twoweek vacation than they do preparing for eternity. The more we dwell on our final destination, the more we’ll be prepared to live eternally in Heaven, thanks to Jesus Christ, who has experienced and conquered Hell on our behalf. And in anticipating our eternal destination, we’ll experience a foretaste of Heaven in this life as we seek to know the Lord more every day. I pray that you and I will live each day with eternity in mind. As you go through your day today, remember that there are eternal consequences to your choices. Dwell on Heaven today, and allow those thoughts to guide your actions. Thanks to Jesus Christ’s free offer of salvation, we can become both heavenly minded and earthly good at the same time. QUOTE: “The created world is but a small parenthesis in eternity.” — Sir Thomas Browne