Advent Season
Week 50 Day 5
Pray:
Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Luke 2:1-16 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
Reflect:
Gospel means good or joyful news. The angels declared that the birth of Christ was “good news of great joy.” The angels declared the gospel of the coming of the Savior. Something that had never happened before in human history was occurring then and there. In fact the pivot point of all human history was that very day. Consider all the momentous events in history, great accomplishments, great tragedies, great births and great deaths. All of these together are nothing compared to the birth and death of the Savior. The birth of the Savior came with some fanfare, angels declared the glory of that day. Yet theirs was a very limited audience, some shepherds in a field. For the most part the day went without notice, the event shrouded in relative obscurity. The glory of that day spread as the gospel spread heart by heart day by day. What is “today” for you? Is it a day of great accomplishment or great sorrow? A day of personal history making or a day to soon be forgotten? How do see today? How should you see today? For those who do not know God and do not believe he is active in human history all days eventually become “dust.” Eventually a life is over and all that is left of that life is a memory in another person’s mind. But then those who remember die and then nothing is left of a life at all. This is the “empty way of life” that Peter said Jesus has redeemed us from. (1 Peter 1:18). If you know God then you are known today. This day is not mere “dust” and your life will never become the dust of death. You will live forever because Christ was born into human history. What you think, feel, and do today matters. It matters today and it will matter into eternity. Every day is shaping us; every day is a day that God intends to use for his purposes. Do not see today or any day as an “empty” day. Those days ceased to exist when Christ redeemed you. The day before or behind you right now may seem to be void of eternal meaning but things are often not as they seem. A baby in a manager did not seem to be the pivot point of human history but he was. The angels “saw” it, and proclaimed the truth to the shepherds. Your days must be seen now in light of that day. Emptiness no longer rules the day, any day. Redemption rules your day if you are in Christ. It is incumbent on you to live this day in your mind, will, and emotions in light of the gospel. You can if you will.
Pray:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.