Note from Jesus
Dear Follower,
Don’t you hate it when people try to make religion into something that’s always somber, serious, and joyless? Yes, I came for serious reasons and paid a horrible price to redeem you. And please never ever forget why I paid that price! I want you to come home to the Father with Me and to share in the great celebration at My coming and the great wedding feast that will follow.
You may think you have seen huge celebrations of joy, but wait till you experience all of heaven’s joy when you come home to share in heaven’s glory! So when I was born into your world, the angels — God’s messengers and heaven’s grand choir — burst into songs of great joy because they knew my entrance into your world would guarantee that you could enter into Our world — triumphant over the sin and death that have held your tiny little blue planet in bondage since that fateful day of rebellion in the Garden.
So, as you remember My birth, join with the angels and celebrate with joy! Anticipate the greater victories that lie ahead. Yes, when I was born, the cross was ahead of Me just as soon as I was placed into that feed trough wrapped in a blanket — literally strips of cloth. But remember, as hard as the Garden of Gethsemane and the cross would be for Me, I ultimately set aside My time of anguish to focus on the joy set before Me (Hebrews 12:2). I could look forward to the time when My earthly journey would be finished, and I could begin to prepare to bring you home to the great wedding celebration of heaven (John 14:1-4; Revelation 19:6-10).
So sing! Shout! Rejoice! Join the angels in celebration. As my half-brother James so powerfully put it:
Are any in your community suffering? They should pray. Are any celebrating? They should sing praises to God.
(James 5:13)
Don’t let sorrow seize this day. Today is a day to join the angels in celebration. I’ve come down to your home to bring you back to My home. My birth was the first step toward making your Father’s great celebration of joy with you come true!
Verses to Live
Some things are just so hard to wait to receive — like little children waiting for Christmas to come. Notice how the fear of the shepherds turns into great anticipation and then they rush to see Me in the feeding trough. I hope you can live with that sense of expectation, too!
Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness was replaced by a glorious light — the shining light of God’s glory. They were terrified!
Messenger:
Don’t be afraid! Listen! I bring good news, news of great joy, news that will affect all people everywhere. Today, in the city of David, a Liberator has been born for you! He is the promised Anointed One, the Supreme Authority! You will know you have found Him when you see a baby, wrapped in a blanket, lying in a feeding trough.
At that moment, the first heavenly messenger was joined by thousands of other messengers — a vast heavenly choir. They praised God.
Heavenly Choir:
To the highest heights of the universe, glory to God!
And on earth, peace among all people who bring pleasure to God!As soon as the heavenly messengers disappeared into heaven, the shepherds were buzzing with conversation.
Shepherds:
Let’s rush down to Bethlehem right now! Let’s see what’s happening! Let’s experience what the Lord has told us about.
(Luke 2:8-15)
Response in Prayer
O magnificent God, Who defies my limited human imagination to praise, please enter into my heart and fill it with the incredible joy and praise like that of the angels who filled the sky for the shepherds on the night of Your Son’s birth into our world. I pray and seek this joy in the name and on the promises of Jesus. Amen.
‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware.
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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.