Proverbs 8:27
I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
Genesis 1:1
[ The Beginning ] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:3
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Merry Christmas! We celebrate the birth of Jesus this week, but are reminded in the first segment of this week’s lesson that, before the beginning, He is, and that the day that we celebrate as his ‘birthday’ was, in fact, the day that God launched His plan on earth, in earth in the person of His Son for our redemption. And so we rejoice. We rejoice in the understanding that God saw fit to love the unlovable, to free us from the bondage of sin and cleanse us in his marvelous light. Our hearts sing with joy as we are reminded of the great burdens that have been removed from us by the appearing of His Son. We have been given life eternal, and more than that, we’ve been given a place in which to live it (a new Heaven and a new Earth) and a family (the Church) with whom to share it. More so, our eyes have been opened. We were once blind and could not see. We’ve been given the precious gift of being able to behold Him; Jesus, full of Grace and Truth. More beautiful, more magnificent, more lovely than anything imaginable. Jesus. It is of no wonder that we that we are in awe of Him, that the very thought of Him sometimes takes our breath away. His name is Marvelous, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Savior! The very thought of Him brings joy! Let us be reminded that, while every day is cause for celebration in the life of Christians, Jesus is the reason for this Season!
Psalm 56:13
For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
Psalm 89:15
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD.
1 Thessalonians 5:5
You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
In the second part of this week’s lesson, we return to Ephesians, where Paul exhorts us to succumb to righteousness, to give in to Life. To shun the works of evil and live a life of self-control, peace and love in Christ, Jesus. Be encouraged beloved. It is a process. A process that will continue for as long as we abide here on earth. The beauty of our predicament is that Christ is with us. Every moment of every hour, we are not forsaken. Our hope is not in our ability to overcome by ourselves, but rather, our ability to overcome through Christ. Please read the passages below from Ephesians 4 and 5. Paul, “the prisoner of the Lord”, pleads with us to remember what we believe, to practice what we preach and to be ever mindful of whose we are and whom we serve. We are the children of God. We demonstrate that in our behavior before Him and our love towards others. Walk in the light. Celebrate the abundant life He has imparted to you by putting that life on display: a life full of truth, righteousness and godliness. Hate sin, reject darkness, stand for righteousness. Love one another. Live a life of humility before God and man. And….enjoy the journey.
Blessings and Peace be upon you as we celebrate our Savior, Jesus Christ this Christmas!
.wb
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