Today is Christmas Day, 2024, and I want to wish you a very blessed, Merry Christmas! After reading our texts for today, I want to frame my reflections within the context that our God, in His compassion and unfailing love from heaven, looked down upon us and saw what we ourselves are often unwilling and unable to see with our own eyes. He saw us as we are – in our greatest need for reconciliation, for regeneration, and for redemption. Sin has so perverted our hearts and so blinded eyes to our own hopeless condition that, to become truly aware of it, we must receive it by revelation from a Source which is completely external to ourselves. Plainly, God tells us that “He so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (cf., John 3:16). The Giver of life gave us the greatest Gift of everlasting life in the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross at Calvary. Truly, we must never forget that Jesus really is the Reason for the season. On this Christmas Day, 2024, may we thank God and praise Him for His unfailing love, expressed to us in the Person and work of God’s Son – sent into the world to save us from sin, eternal death, and hell.
In Nehemiah 1-2, we see Nehemiah’s personal concern for the city of Jerusalem and his prayer of praise, confession, and seeking the Lord’s favor and unfailing love. Such a prayer should encourage us to approach God in the same way. Nehemiah, who was the “cupbearer to the king” (1:11), held a comfortable, responsible, trustworthy office that he was willing to exchange for the hardships of serving a greater King – the God of Israel – and to become directly involved in His service to rebuild Jerusalem. In chapter 2, we see Nehemiah’s request of King Artaxerxes, who, under the sovereign control of God, granted Nehemiah permission to go and carry out this mission. Of course, opposition to God’s work always obtains, but unmoved by it, Nehemiah says, “The God of heaven will give us success” (2:20). God’s work cannot be hindered.
Psalm 147:1-11: In this Psalm, we find another answer to our question from yesterday, “Why Should We Praise God?” The Psalmist writes, “it is good, pleasant, and fitting to sing praises to our God” (verse 1). The LORD is worthy of our praise. Again, we see some of His deeds: He “builds up Jerusalem; He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds; He determines the number of the stars and calls them by name – great is our Lord!” (verses 2-5). Who among us is able to do any of that? The Psalm continues with many other glories of our God, but then, in verses 10-11, we read that “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse or the legs of the warrior. His delight is in those who fear (i.e., revere) Him; who put their hope in His unfailing love.” God has created man – even in all our own, so-called “glory” – to be sensitive to love, beauty, grace, tenderness, and deep-seated joy, even though sin has hardened man into a creature of hate, ugliness, clumsiness, harshness, and melancholy. Truth be told, these are “man’s glories,” and today, mankind is self-righteously proud of them. Without God, this is what we have become; this is what we are. But the God Who “covers the skies with clouds” (verse 8) sent His Son into the world to redeem us from “our own glories” and return us to the sensitivities of love, grace, and beauty – if only we will place our faith in Him. What a blessed hope!
In Revelation 16 today, we read John’s description of the seven bowl judgments which will eventually lead to the conclusion of God’s program here on earth. These judgments include ugly, festering sores on people who took the mark of the beast – as well as all the seas, the rivers, and the springs becoming blood; the sun scorching people with fire; prevalent darkness; the drying up of the Euphrates River; then a severe earthquake “like none other” (verse 18). All of this is followed by “100-pound hailstones falling on men” (cf., verses 2-21). God will go to great lengths to gain people’s willful attention. Yet – unbelievably – the text states that “they refused to repent,” and they “cursed God” (verses 9, 11, and 21). Still, He came into this world to demonstrate His unfailing love and save us from all these awful judgments. Today, as we celebrate His birth, I pray that you will truly know Him before He comes again. Have a joyous Christmas Day!
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