By GARY ANDREWS
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I often wonder how many people have the opportunity of reading the Christmas Story.
I know that at my church we do and on many occasions my wife and I read it at home. This is something we have tried to share with our children with hopes that someday they will share this story with their children and it will continue on down the line.
Instead of great joy and sharing, Christmas has become a time of stress and the burden of over-spending monies that we don’t have nor have any idea how long it will take us to get it.
Billy Graham tells us in his Hope for Each Day, to not let the Christmas season overwhelm us. We don’t need to feel that we have to do everything, or go into debt just to impress people. Instead, we need to focus on Jesus and take time every day to read the prophecies of His coming and the wonderful story of His birth.
The Christmas message is still the same as it has been for over 2000 years.
Read the following verses from Luke about the Savior’s birth and really let it sink into our hearts. All of us truly need to enjoy Christmas and let it be the good news of great joy through Jesus.
“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
For the entire Christmas story please read Luke 1:26 - 2:40.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the Christmas season. All of us that know you know that you are with us in whatever we do and we praise you for this. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday - Isaiah 7:13-14; Monday - Matthew 1:18-25; Tuesday - 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Wednesday - John 10:7-10; Thursday - Luke 1:32-33; Friday - Psalm 145-:17-21; Saturday - 1 Peter 5:5-7.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com.