Daily and Weekly Christian Inspiration
“Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees, tinsel and reindeers, but there must be no mention of the man whose birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas.?”
Ronald Reagan
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
I was spending time “Dressing the house” and putting finishing touches to my Christmas tree to celebrate the season, when I took a moment to sit down with my Scottie and Westie, to reflect and be inspired as I read Jack Hayford’s Christmas Devotional where he writes:-
“Be assured this is righteous.
I mean it! Decoration of the house at Christmas is neither a surrender to pagan traditions nor a capitulation to commercialism.
Listen….
If God commissioned angels to roll back the night and fill it with blazing light
If God provided a mighty celestial choir to serenade a few startled shepherds,
If God graced the heavens with a miracle star,
If God arranged such a memorable entry point as a feeding trough in a stable,
If God went to all this trouble to open our eyes to His entry into our world
Then we needn’t apologize for festooning our home with a few seasonal reminders!
Since the light of the world has come, lights strung across the roof only shout it from the housetop. Candles and candelabra, stars and starlight, gifts and giving, songs and sonnets, light and lightheartedness, angel cookies and wise men or ornaments – all are consistent with what transpired on our little planet two thousand years ago.
That we celebrate the memory with attention and care, the wonder-filled and wonder-full is entirely appropriate”.
CHALLENGE: As we prepare our hearts for His Advent let us also prepare our homes as a window to display the celebration and joy of the season for family, friends and neighbors as they visit our homes.
Since we all are born with our Adam nature and born as sinners separated from God, where could we ever find someone who was sinless, who could take the penalty for our sin by taking our place of judgement? It had to be someone who did not inherit the Adam nature. The only way this could possibly happen was to have someone born physically without an earthly father since sin is inherited through our fathers’ bloodline not our mothers’. But everyone male or female inherits that Adam nature since we all have earthly fathers.
There was only one born who did not have an earthly father, that one was the babe in the manger in Bethlehem. Yes, even He did have an earthly mother who had been born of an earthly father, but biologically the blood of the mother never intermingles with the blood of the fetus, thus He could be born without a sinful nature. The chemistry is in the blood, sin is in the blood, and life is in the blood.
If this babe had an earthly father He would have been paying for the penalty of His own sin.
He had to be the perfect Lamb to be found worthy to take away the sin of the world.
If He wasn’t born of a virgin we are still in our sins for His sacrificial death would not have been an acceptable sacrifice when He presented His blood in the Holy of Holies in the heavens.
When the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit plants His seed in our spiritual wombs we are “born again” of a different bloodline through the New Birth as we now can become the children of God.
Surely the Christmas story is The Son of God becoming a man to enable men to become the sons of God.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
CHALLENGE:
Except we become as little children we cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Celebrate the miracle of the Virgin Birth this season with childlike wonder and faith.
“You may go if you must, but not me! The church is rubbish. Christmas is pure sentimentality…….”
The man was an agnostic. And though his wife and children pleaded with him to join them for services on Christmas Eve, he would not. “I don’t need Christmas” he would say. “It’s for children not for me.”
It began to snow. The man now, at home alone, peered out the window at white swirls dancing across his lawn. He settled down with the daily paper, hoping that his wife and children would soon be home. And then, ‘Thump…..’ on the window pane above the sofa. The man went to the door. He cracked it open to see a little ball of feathers – a barn swallow- sitting in a lump beneath the window. Apparently it crashed into the pane wanting to escape the blowing snow that now threatened to become the first storm of winter.
The man, who was not much given to sentimentality, felt nevertheless drawn to the bird. It must have a family he thought, among the many swallows that nested in the tool shed. It must have gotten lost. Perhaps it felt panic as the sky lowered and the snow began to fall.
“If only I could point it to the shed” he thought to himself. “ There the little fellow would find shelter against the storm”. He made a gesture with his hand, but he knew it would be useless. He picked the bird up and set it on the path to the shed. But it only sat there. Running to the kitchen, the man brought bread crumbs and laid them out in front of the bird thinking to lure it toward the shed.
But this, too, had no effect. “I’ll never make it understand” he thought to himself. “It speaks another language. The little thing is confused – it misunderstands my intentions.” And then he thought, “I’d have to become a bird myself and show it the way……”
Just then, above the wind, he heard a church bell ring. It reminded him suddenly of the season – it was Christmas. And in a flash he understood that Christmas was necessary after all. “How else might God let his creatures know His intentions? How else might he lead them to shelter? It required becoming one of us….”
God has become one of us. And he has entrusted us with the same message – to become a genuine part of people and cultures around the world. How else will they ever know?
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
CHALLENGE: Are you listening and following after Him?
My book and study guide “Developing a Secret History with God” will inspire you on your journey to hear His voice that you may follow after Him.
Book available on Amazon/ Barnes&Noble/ Walmart/Lulu/ itunes/ Kindle/ Nook/http wwwclfrance.com/ W.H. Smith UK/or a bookstore near you.
Languages: English/ French
Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house.
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
In hope that Jesus would not come there.
The children were dressing to crawl into bed
Not once ever knelling or bowing a head.
And Mum in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.
When out of the East there arose such a clatter.
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a ray
I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!
The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
In the Book of Life which He held in His Hand
Was written the name of every saved man,
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said “Its not here” my head hung in shame.
The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound.
While all the rest were left standing around.
I feel to my knees but it was too late;
I had waited too long and this sealed my fate,
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh! If only I had been ready tonight.
In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There’s only one way life and when comes the call
We’ll find that the Bible was true after all!
CHALLENGE:
Since there are approximately 300 prophecies about His first coming and over 1500 prophesying He will come again, His second advent is imminent. In the middle of all the hustle and bustle in preparing to celebrate His Birth do we even give it a thought to prepare for His second coming?