Verse of the Day for Thursday, December 24, 2020

 

Verse of the Day
Thursday, December 24, 2020

Luke 2:16-20

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Luke recounted Jesus’ birth, his early years, his ancestry, and his baptism by John the Baptist. As Jesus grew, people began to see that he had a remarkable understanding of God. His baptism brought about the announcement from heaven that Jesus is God’s Son.

Jesus is God’s gift to us. He was sent to us to free us from the eternal consequences of sin. John the Baptist was a humble man who submitted to God. He knew his ministry was to point people to God’s gift.

You have been given a perfect personal gift. One just for you. “There has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (2:11 NASB, emphasis added).

An angel spoke these words. Shepherds heard them first. But what the angel said to them, God says to anyone who will listen. “There has been born for you…” Jesus is the gift.

He himself is the treasure. Grace is precious because he is. Grace changes lives because he does. Grace secures us because he will. The gift is the Giver. To discover grace is to discover God’s utter devotion to you, his stubborn resolve to give you a cleansing, healing, purging love that lifts the wounded back to their feet. Does he stand high on a hill and bid you climb out of the valley? No. He bungees down and carries you out. Does he build a bridge and command you to cross it? No. He crosses the bridge and shoulders you over. “You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God” (Eph 2:8 NCV).

This is the gift that God gives. A grace that grants us first the power to receive love and then the power to give it. A grace that changes us, shapes us, and leads us to a life that is eternally altered. Do you know this grace? Do you trust this grace? If not, you can. All God wants from us is faith. Put your faith in God.

Who do you know who has not yet received Jesus into their lives? Share the news of God’s gift with them and tell them how much God’s grace has changed your life. Like John the Baptist, believers should point people to Jesus Christ. Who are the people God is placing on your heart to pray for, to witness to, and to help?

Read all of Luke 2

Listen to Luke 2

The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)