Tag: Christmas

Peace in Believing

This peace is an overall sense of blessed assurance that a faithful God can be trusted in any and every situation to do what is right and best for his people. It is the fruit of a life centered in, focused on and engaged with the God of hope.

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Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and bless God saying, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” – Luke 2:25-32

Simeon was a righteous and devout man, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He believed what the Holy Spirit revealed to him, that he would see the Messiah with his own eyes before he died. So he faithfully waited, anticipating the “consolation of Israel,” the one who would bring comfort and rescue.

And now the time had come. In joy and wonder, Simeon beheld the Lord’s Christ. When he scooped the Messiah up and held him in his arms, he knew this child would bring salvation, not just to Israel, but to the world. Simeon blessed the Lord. He blessed Mary and Joseph. His heart was full. 

Because of his faith, Simeon had peace in the waiting. He believed God would do as the Holy Spirit had revealed. Simeon, Spirit upon him, had peace entering the temple and left the temple in peace and joy. Simeon would depart from this world in peace, knowing first-hand that God, who promised, is faithful. The Lord God had brought salvation to the world through Jesus Christ. There was peace in believing.

As spirit-filled believers, we have access to the peace of God; an inner peace even in the middle of outside chaos. This peace is an overall sense of blessed assurance that a faithful God can be trusted in any and every situation to do what is right and best for his people. It is the fruit of a life centered in, focused on and engaged with the God of hope. Just as Simeon believed, according to the word of God, we too can believe according to God’s word. Our God knows us as he knew Simeon. He loves us and sent his son to reconcile us to himself. The Father gifted us with the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and Jesus left us with his gift of peace and exhorted us to guard our hearts from being unsetted and afraid. (John 14:22) Christ Jesus has overcome the world and all the trouble and heartache with it.

Consider what this good news of great joy really means for you today. Have you seen and embraced the salvation of the Lord; the Light of the World? Give thought to the significance of this gospel gift and allow yourself to experience the joy of the season and peace in believing!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. –Romans 15:13

God With Us

We set our hope and faith on the steadfast love and endless mercy of God who promises his presence. When life is beautiful and bountiful, He is there. When life is difficult and seems empty, He is there.

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Your hope today is not in the depth of your wisdom or the size of your strength, but in the presence of your Redeemer with you. –Paul David Tripp

And he came to her and said, “Greetings O favored one, the Lord is with you!” Luke 1:28

Chosen by God, Mary, the mother of his Son believed the message spoken to her by the angel, Gabriel. Life was about to get very complicated for this young Jewish girl, a virgin, betrothed to Joseph but pregnant by another. How difficult it must have been to bear up under the scrutiny of the culture! How often did she ponder the words, “The Lord is with you.”? How often did she recall the prophecy of Isaiah, “Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.”? 

Immanuel. God with us. The words of the Prophet would be fulfilled in the person of Jesus.

So often we misset our hearts and hopes on things that have no power to set us free, unburden, strengthen or change us. We long for a way of escape or look to be rescued from our circumstances. In our short-sightedness, we set our hope on external means to make our lives easier. This kind of rescue is fleeting and temporary.

God’s hope goes much deeper than a political candidate or financial windfall. We don’t walk through this life alone. We have the promise and privilege of God’s presence. We set our hope and faith on the steadfast love and endless mercy of God who promises his presence. When life is beautiful and bountiful, He is there. When life is difficult and seems empty, He is there. He is our strength in weakness and success. He’s our grace in want and abundance. His hope does not disappoint. The pathway to peace is paved with hope—the hope of our salvation. It is in his loving, sustaining presence we have hope.

Immanuel: The hope of the world. Our salvation came as God and man so that we might know his person and presence. God with us—the source and focus of our hope.

There is no better time than today to reset your hope in Immanuel!

But Mary…

And in this moment of hearing the marvelous account from the shepherds, Mary doesn’t share her own story with them. She adds this piece of God’s story to her treasure chest of knowing, seeing and confirming.

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Luke 2:8-20 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And The angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Imagine, just another starry night out in the field with the sheep and suddenly the glory of the Lord shines, as no other source of light, and an angel appears before them. The angel has a message; good news of great joy for all the people. He tells them of the Saviors birth and where to find him. And then a host of angels, an army, appears declaring peace with God brought by the Savior. The fear-gripped shepherds didn’t speak until the angels went away from them into heaven. Immediately, they hurried off to see for themselves this thing that the Lord had made known to them.

The shepherds rejoiced in what they saw. They glorified and praised God for what they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had said. In utter amazement and wonder, they joyfully declared this good news to others. The shepherds made known the saying that had been told to them concerning this child. And all who heard it were astounded and marveled at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary… Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. Mary already had a heart full of treasured moments. She had her own angelic experience and when she shared with Elizabeth all that the angel had told her it became real. While Mary must have had a difficult conversation with Joseph, there is no record of her sharing this news with anyone up until this moment. As Mary spoke, the babe in Elizabeth’s womb lept for joy. When Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, confirmed the identity of Mary’s yet to be born son, Mary’s heart rejoiced and filled to an overflowing song of praise.

She was the one chosen to give birth to the son of God, Savior of the world. What a fantastic realization! Mary’s song exalts God as merciful, faithful and mighty. Her spirit rejoiced in God “my” Savior.

And in this moment of hearing the marvelous account from the shepherds, Mary doesn’t share her own story with them. She adds this piece of God’s story to her treasure chest of knowing, seeing and confirming. She contemplates and reflects on past, present and future not fully knowing how it will be lived out but fully knowing it is true.

Mary has given birth to the Savior of the world.

But Mary…