2 Advent Words in 1

 

Who Has Ever Heard of Such a Thing?

Who has ever heard of such a thing? And when you think about it, how could a star that is millions of miles away, no matter how miraculous that star might be, how could it possibly mark a specific location on the earth?

If I look up in the big Colorado night sky and see a star directly overhead, and if I walk down the road twenty miles, that star is still going to be directly overhead.

How could it possibly point the way to something as small as a house? Who ever heard of such a star?

And, who ever heard of a star appearing at the time of someone’s birth? Why would anyone even be looking for that?

And yet, for those who can see it, for those who are actually looking, the one the Magi found after two years of following this guiding light, this star in the heavens one that was prophesied to appear, these will see no ego driven maniacal god. He was found by those determined and hard travelled Magi, as a humble two year old child, and yet, He was, and is, the King of the Universe.

Oh yes, He is leading a revolution, not in the capitals of power, but within human hearts! For those who choose to see, He is shining a light, saying, “Come and find me.”

For those who can see it, His star is still shining, still illuminating the way, still guiding us forward, still calling us to follow.

Come and follow that once newborn King, and He will teach you a new way.

Come and follow a Risen King. His name is Jesus, who IS Christ The LORD.

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Those With Whom He Is Pleased

When reading the phrase from Luke 2:14, “those with whom He is pleased,” we can see that God is pleased with people, not because they are good, but because of the favor He graciously pours on them in Christ.

However, this may leave us wondering – does He pour Christ’s favor on everyone?

In other words, are all men saved because of what happened at Christmas?

We are probably most familiar with the New King James Version of this passage, which says, “on earth peace, goodwill toward men”. This version seems to make more sense, right?

Just four verses before, the angel declared Jesus’ birth to be “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10), that is, joy to the world. And after all, if Jesus “did not come to judge the world but to save the world“ (John 12:47), then wouldn’t “goodwill toward men” include every human being?

But we know that in the end, all are not saved. Jesus said, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few,” (Matthew 7:14).

So even though the statement, “those with whom he is pleased” may not seem like good news at first, we must remember that He would be just not to pour favor on anyone. Yet, He does.

He now mercifully pours His favor on some people from all nations, not just the Hebrew people, and extends peace through Christ to “all the people” (Luke 2:10). The good news has gone global. God really does display goodwill toward men.

In Luke’s account of Christ’s birth, those with whom God is pleased are the same people earlier described as God-fearing, humble, and dependent on God’s faithful provision for everything, including salvation (Luke 1:46-55). These are the real evidence of grace.

Luke’s Gospel reminds us with stories like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), this grace often comes to the least likely.

In light of such amazing truths, may we all heavily and humbly depend on God and prove to have his favor on us, and may we glorify Him in heaven for this peace we now have on earth!

 

In His Shadow,
~ Mary Lindow ^©

Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed as long as complete message and website information for Mary Lindow is included. Thank You!

” THE MESSENGER ” ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
Global Prayer Rooms

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Mary Lindow has a passion for encouraging others – all generations, careers or vocations to live expressing excellence through personal integrity, healthy accountability, and wise management of talents and skills. She’s a sought after keynote, inspirational, humorous speaker and teacher across the USA and internationally in Ministers & Spiritual leaders Conferences, and training seminars for various organizations.

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