Photo by Mark Mabry (http://www.reflectionsofchrist.org/index.php)
Copyright © 2012 Reflections of Christ. All rights reserved.
There is so much beauty in this special Christmas season,
from the colorful lights, to decorated trees, to the time spent with loved
ones, it’s a time that brings each year to a close. Aside from all of the beauty
in the gatherings and decorations, the most beautiful part of Christmas is in
fact the true meaning of that special day. When we all come together to
celebrate Christmas we need to be mindful of Christ’s birth, God becoming
flesh, on that peaceful and silent night in Bethlehem.
The most precious gift was given to us that day, a gift that
any other could never measure up to. Immanuel, God with us, became a reality
and all things up until this point had led us here. The Savior was born and he
would be the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Everlasting Father, and
though the world thought they could defeat him, his kingdom continues to reign.
One of the most overlooked passages in Scripture is just
before Jesus’s birth when the angel Gabriel came to visit a young virgin girl
by the name of Mary. Most scholars have determined Mary to be about sixteen
years of age at the time the angel appeared to her, and while this may seem
irrelevant, it plays deeply into the profoundness of her response. When Gabriel
told Mary that she would bear a son and that
“He will be great and will be
called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne
of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of
his kingdom there will be no end.”
(Lk
1:32-33)
her response is one that I believe would be very difficult
for most of us. Where most of us would have several questions and worries about
being judged, or having to explain ourselves, Mary’s selfless response is of an
attitude we should all strive to achieve this Christmas…or everyday for that
matter.
“Behold, I am the
servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
(Lk 1:38)
Be it unto me Lord, be it unto me. Wow, the fact that a
young girl had the heart and spiritual maturity to know when the Lord was
speaking to her and take that call willingly is so incredible to me. For some
of us today, it’s hard for us to do a small favor for our family members, let
alone listen and respond to God’s will for our lives with such a servant’s
heart. It’s truly my prayer that my life model Mary’s response to Gabriel; be
it unto me Lord, I am your servant, whatever it is, I say yes.
Let us be a people who don’t count ourselves out of the
Lord’s blessings for us. Mary was just a young girl and yet gave birth to the
Savior of the world. You are not too young, too unintelligent, too old, too
unstylish or hip, too broken, too hurt to receive God’s blessings for your
life. He wants so deeply to bless you, all he wants is for you to say yes to
him. I wish I could say it is an easy process, but it a daily struggle of
saying no to your flesh, to your own desires, that turns into joy in saying yes
to God and his will for you life. Which by the way, is so much greater and
better than anything you could have ever imagined for yourself. I’m so thankful
that I serve a God where my biggest dreams are his smallest for my life. Just
wow.
This Christmas, and in this New Year, make it your prayer
and your goal to be like Mary and say yes to the Lord. You’ll be surprised at
the ways he decides to use and bless you and in the end so full of joy that you
did.
I pray that God reveals himself to
you in a new way this Christmas season, beware of thinking you know all there
is to know about him and that you have nowhere else to grow. He’s not about
rules, he’s not about making you suffer to be a do gooder, Jesus Christ is
about love, and in order to love you and for you to receive that love you’ve
got to enter into a relationship with him. Wow, God loves you so much, and I
hope that you can experience his love this season. Many blessings to you! Merry
Christmas!
Note: The postings from "The 25 Days of Christ" are thoughts shared by guest posters and may not directly reflect the perspective of the blog's main author, Cocoshirley. Any pictures added have been added by Cocoshirley and not by the guest author.
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