Faith in Parenting

Isaiah 9:2

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

Luke 2:30-32

For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.

Reflections:

Doesn’t everything dark and frightening seem much better by the light of day? Think about a time when you were scared, or faced a huge problem - one so big it kept you from sleep. Once dawn breaks, that same issue often looks smaller and more manageable. There’s something about turning the light on - whether it’s a physical lamp by your bed, or the light of daybreak - that makes us feel more capable.

And how much more so the light of Jesus in our lives! See, He is THE Light. The light that makes all the difference!

John 8:12 tells us that “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

And Isaiah 60:20(b) tells us that “The LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end”

Let’s also look at John 1:9-12

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Here we see that Jesus came to give light to every man (and woman). Not for some. Not for few. True, there may be few who will accept Jesus’ offer of salvation and truly follow Him, but His offer is for ALL.

Friends, that means that Christmas Day is for each and every one of us! And one common theme through all of these Advent devotions has been focusing on our response. Today, what is our response to this news? If Jesus came in to the world - fully human and yet fully God - to bring Light to our lives, to offer us hope, and peace, truth, and salvation, what is our response to Him? It’s a truth that’s too big to ignore, too huge to push aside or overlook.

Take some time today to get away - even for just a few minutes - and pray with God about your response. Don’t worry about having the right words or the right posture.  Your words don’t have to be lengthy or eloquent to count to Him! He’s ready, even right now, to listen to and accept your response to His most awesome gift - eternal life!

This entry was posted on Monday, December 24th, 2007 at 5:10 pm and is filed under traditions, scripture, prayer, faith. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.