14 December 2008
The First Christmas
December/15/2008 11:02 AM
An Event of Faith
Luke
1:30-37: But the angel said to her, “Do not be
afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will
be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to
give Him the name Jesus.
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give Him the throne of His father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “ The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
The very first Christmas was an event of faith. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was just a young virgin girl. When the angel Gabriel came to visit and told her that she would bear God’s own son, she believed him. How easy would it have been for her to respond, “That’s crazy and impossible for me to have a child; I have never known a man. And you say God Himself is going to be the Father of my child?” But she didn’t.
Think about the faith it took to accept the responsibility to carry God’s son knowing that her family, friends, and entire community would never understand. She would be shunned and disgraced because she would have a child out of wedlock with her betrothed, Joseph. How would she explain that God was using her to bring the Savior of the world to all mankind? That wouldn’t go over so well. She could of said, “This is too hard and impossible to bear.” But she didn’t.
Mary and Joseph had faith in God knowing that what He had spoken to them, He would do. They had faith to obey and carry out the plan no matter the cost. Sometimes the cost is ridicule and persecution because people who walk according to the flesh and the world can’t understand the things of God. Standing in faith can be a lonely place for a season, but if we don’t loosen our grip of faith, we will see the promise of God come to pass.
After the angel Gabriel had declared these things to Mary, she responded in Luke 1:38,
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”
In verse 45, her cousin Elizabeth said, “and blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
And that is just what happened. What God promised, he performed ! Despite Satan trying to use Herod to destroy the promise, Jesus, God’s own son was born. When Herod ordered the death of all the first born sons, Joseph and Mary kept trusting in God’s promise. They took a journey of faith on a donkey to a place of safety. Jesus the King was born in a stable in the town of Bethlehem.
It is the same with us. We must take God’s written and spoken word and believe it, proclaiming like Mary: “Be it unto me according to thy word.” If we do this, there will be a performance of those things God has promised unto us! Glory to God!
This reminds me of something Jesus said in John 11:40.
“Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
So, this Christmas, don’t let this season be just a time of being over-scheduled, over- partied, over-spent, and over-stressed. This is the time we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus!
Let this Christmas be an event of faith! What a wonderful opportunity to share our faith with others about the true meaning of Christmas. Choose to believe God for whatever you need. Do you have a financial need? Believe that His provision and care are limitless! “But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches by Christ Jesus!” Do you have a need for healing in your body, or in a relationship? Go to the word, get a promise and stand on it. Believing for a loved one? Don’t give up! Keep praying and standing on the word! Make this Christmas season an event of using and sharing your faith,then you will see the glory of God! Remember, nothing is impossible with God!
Acts 27:25: “So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me.”
kimconnor@whwc.org
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give Him the throne of His father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “ The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
The very first Christmas was an event of faith. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was just a young virgin girl. When the angel Gabriel came to visit and told her that she would bear God’s own son, she believed him. How easy would it have been for her to respond, “That’s crazy and impossible for me to have a child; I have never known a man. And you say God Himself is going to be the Father of my child?” But she didn’t.
Think about the faith it took to accept the responsibility to carry God’s son knowing that her family, friends, and entire community would never understand. She would be shunned and disgraced because she would have a child out of wedlock with her betrothed, Joseph. How would she explain that God was using her to bring the Savior of the world to all mankind? That wouldn’t go over so well. She could of said, “This is too hard and impossible to bear.” But she didn’t.
Mary and Joseph had faith in God knowing that what He had spoken to them, He would do. They had faith to obey and carry out the plan no matter the cost. Sometimes the cost is ridicule and persecution because people who walk according to the flesh and the world can’t understand the things of God. Standing in faith can be a lonely place for a season, but if we don’t loosen our grip of faith, we will see the promise of God come to pass.
After the angel Gabriel had declared these things to Mary, she responded in Luke 1:38,
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”
In verse 45, her cousin Elizabeth said, “and blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
And that is just what happened. What God promised, he performed ! Despite Satan trying to use Herod to destroy the promise, Jesus, God’s own son was born. When Herod ordered the death of all the first born sons, Joseph and Mary kept trusting in God’s promise. They took a journey of faith on a donkey to a place of safety. Jesus the King was born in a stable in the town of Bethlehem.
It is the same with us. We must take God’s written and spoken word and believe it, proclaiming like Mary: “Be it unto me according to thy word.” If we do this, there will be a performance of those things God has promised unto us! Glory to God!
This reminds me of something Jesus said in John 11:40.
“Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
So, this Christmas, don’t let this season be just a time of being over-scheduled, over- partied, over-spent, and over-stressed. This is the time we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus!
Let this Christmas be an event of faith! What a wonderful opportunity to share our faith with others about the true meaning of Christmas. Choose to believe God for whatever you need. Do you have a financial need? Believe that His provision and care are limitless! “But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches by Christ Jesus!” Do you have a need for healing in your body, or in a relationship? Go to the word, get a promise and stand on it. Believing for a loved one? Don’t give up! Keep praying and standing on the word! Make this Christmas season an event of using and sharing your faith,then you will see the glory of God! Remember, nothing is impossible with God!
Acts 27:25: “So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me.”
kimconnor@whwc.org
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