Galatians 4:4-7 (NLT)
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for
us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God
has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but
God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
As Christmas approaches I have been thinking a great deal about the birth of Christ as it relates to God’s amazing plan of
redemption. Christ, born as a child to live a sin free life, to love, to serve, to sacrifice so that we might become a child of God.
God sent His Child so that we might become His child. Christ born of flesh; God in flesh; incarnate, so that we might be restored
all to His glory.
This brings to mind the lyrics from the Christmas Carol, ‘What Child Is This.’
What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary
Luke 2:8-‐14
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord
appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior
has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying
in a manger.” 13 Suddenly 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.”
Joy, Joy For Christ is Born. This Christmas may we be amazed and in awe; may we proclaim Glory to God in the highest; may
we recognize the good news that our Savior was born; He is Christ the Lord!
Have you ever stopped to think about how rushed we are at this time of the year? I
continue to be amazed at this thing we call Christmas shopping, the pushing, the
shoving, the hurry.
To me it just magnifies a picture of life; life full of me trying to be in control, me
rushing around, me taking important things for granted, me with wrong priorities.
Doing so many things that none are done well.
As I think about this I begin to see this is a reflection of my spiritual life. I want to
control things, rather than to trust God. I want to have things in my timing rather
than to trust in God’s perfect timing.
Life seems so busy, there seems to be so many things to get done, so many things to
complete, so many troubles, so many...well you get the picture.
Recently I was reading and came upon Isaiah 28:16 (Amp):
"Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion a foundation of
Stone, a tested Stone, a precious Cornerstone of sure foundation; he who believes
in, trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone, will not be ashamed or give
way or hasten away in sudden panic."
Isn’t that so comforting; as believers we have a foundation of Stone, a precious
Cornerstone that we can trust in, rely on and adhere to. We have that Stone in
Christ.
I kept digging and found something Spurgeon wrote concerning this verse:
"How is it with me? Am I believing, and am I therefore keeping to the believer's pace,
which is walking with God? Peace, fluttering spirit! Oh, rest in the Lord, and wait
patiently for Him! Heart, see that thou do this at once!"
Peace my fluttering spirit!
May we all walk the believer’s pace.
Grace and Peace!
Have you ever thought about this phrase comfort zone? The Free Dictionary defines
comfort zone as “a situation or position in which a person feels secure, comfortable,
or in control.” Sounds like a pretty good place to be, but don’t we often hear that we
need to stretch; to get out of our comfort zones?
Recently, we had a great discussion about our comfort zones. We tied it to our study
of David Platt’s book “Radical”. In the book, Plat has a small section that mentions
the sovereignty of God. The Sovereignty of God is defined as God’s ultimate
Lordship and rule over all things. His divine will is supreme over all. Platt points to
Matthew 10:29;
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground
outside your Father’s care.”
In God’s sovereignty I see such comfort, such security with God in control. Platt goes
on to say that “we can rest confident in the fact that nothing will happen to us in this
world apart from the gracious will of a sovereign God. Nothing.”
So when we really bring this to conclusion can’t you see that as Christians, as
believers, as those who through Christ fully trust in God, we should never be in
anything but a comfort zone.
As Christians, we should come to recognize that life is all comfort zone; no matter
what, no matter the situation or the circumstance. We should come to realize that
as a child of God we are secure, we are comfortable and God is in control. Amen!
So if we can really come to terms with this we can stretch, we can grow, we can try
new things; we can with confidence talk to our neighbors, help those in need, reach
out for the Glory of God; and we can do this as part of a believers comfort zone.
May we all fully, totally and completely trust in our great God through our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit...what a comfort zone!
Grace and Peace!
