Reflections on Christmas; Daily Devotional #2 - “A Child Is Born to Us”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:2-6, NLT)
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): How wonderful that God has “flipped the switch on” for those of us who have embraced his Name! No more stumbling in the dark and endless flailing at false enemies. Now we can clearly see our path and target every blow against our adversary. Satan hates it that we can see even better than he can. With God’s Light now guiding us through life, we are the enemy’s worst nightmare. He thought that, once Jesus Christ died on Calvary, he had finally put out the Light. But instead, he did the unthinkable: he made a way for millions more of us to walk in that very same glory! Now, empowered by God’s love, we are busy reconciling the world back to the Father. With every new conversion our “kingdom” becomes bigger and stronger. What a grand chorus we will make as we stand together in His presence and glorify His Name! Now that He has shattered the yoke that burdens us and defeated our oppressor, we are free to enjoy life. No more fear, anxiety, and regret to burden our lives. Now hope, faith, and peace hold our hand every day. What a joy to hear His voice comfort our hearts in times of stress. He alone will finish this Good Work that He has begun in each of us, and no pitiful demonic plan can thwart it! Our enemy is only as powerful as we allow him to be. He can be just a nuisance, or a debilitating handicap. God’s desire is for us to be triumphant over the evil one and see, by the power of His Light, that we are more than conquerors in this dark place (Romans 8:37). Since He has led us into this fine, rich land, it just makes sense that we use every resource available to accomplish every mission He assigns. He delights in watching us embrace our calling and accessing every blessing. It more than compensates for the pain He suffered at watching His Son die on our behalf.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Because of His obedience and sacrifice, His Son, the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace, now abides within our very hearts. He enjoys loving us unconditionally, guiding us patiently, and forgiving us completely. How He longs to reveal to us His heart, His grace, and His Kingdom. Just like any other older sibling, He wants to defend us, protect us, and show us the “ropes” of life. Since He has already “been there and done that”, He is the ultimate role model. What other god has ever given himself to become the redeemer of his people? No other being has ever loved so completely and given so abundantly! His love should ignite our passion and cement our resolve. We have been taken from the Land of the Shadow of Death and transported into the Land of the Living. Hallelujah to the Lord of Glory!
Cultivating (Additional Reading): John 1:14
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All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
New Living Testament = NLT.